7/26/2011
The tough Alabama immigration law has prompted a number of undocumented immigrants to go back to their home countries. Most of them have decided to leave the United States before September 1, the date when the law would take effect.
One such example were the parents of Nicolas Hernandez, who returned to Argentina. The family has been in the United States for 14 years, however, Nicolas’ parents were undocumented, whereas he was engaged to a U.S. citizen and does not have any plan of leaving the U.S.
In various areas in Alabama, an alarming concern was also raised by farm owners, who relied on these illegal immigrants to do farm work. Danny Jones, the owner of Durbin Farms Market has lost workers in the central part of the state in Chilton County. He said that he may not be able to plant strawberries during the later part of the year since there would not be any available labor by then. Jones said that there is no use planting if nobody would be picking them up.
The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama has been busy answering concerns of both legal and illegal immigrants who are seeking legal help. These include those who might actually return to their native countries and face the possibility of leaving a child in the United States. The coalition has received a lot of donations during the month of June, and there are instances when they are able to raise around $2000 in a single week alone. The donations come from individuals from different walks of life, regardless of their status.
Concern for the said law is not only found in the Hispanic communities but also from farmers who foresee labor shortages when the law would be taking effect.
