Last night, on NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” reporter Kate Snow did a segment on what Williams called the “huge controversy” in Alabama caused by the passage of the state’s “papers, please” HB 56 anti-immigration law.
Snow’s report showed the dire impacts of HB 56 on Alabama’s Latino families and the state’s farmers, including visuals of tomatoes rotting on the vine due to the labor shortage experienced by the state.
According to the report, Alabama’s Governor Robert Bentley (R-AL) attempted to defend the law from criticism from farmers and stated that he doesn’t want to be “the face of an anti-immigrant sentiment.” Might be too late for that.
A report released yesterday by Center for American Progress, highlights the economic damage Alabama’s law is already having. According to Alabama farmer, Chad Smith, he’s lost $300,000 in revenue “because of labor shortages in the wake of HB 56.”
The entire NBC segment can be viewed on their website and we’ve embedded it on our blog here. It’s definitely worth watching.
- The 10 Numbers You Need to Know About Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant Law (Center for American Progress)
- Report on Economic Damage Incurred by Arizona Due to its Immigration Law (Center for American Progress)
- Ten Things to Know About Alabama’s New Immigration Law (America’s Voice Education Fund)
- · Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice
America’s Voice Education Fund — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
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