Enforcement of Immigration Laws Could Drain Local Coffers

Here’s another take on why local enforcement of federal immigration laws is a bad idea. This comes from The News Courier, in Athens, Alabama:

The sheriff (Mike Blakely) said the combination of increased man-hours and rising fuel costs associated with taking illegal immigrants from Limestone County to a federal detention facility in Atlanta could cripple the county financially. Despite his objections to the bill, he said his department would do what the law requires.

Who would have thought that the high price of gasoline would prove detrimental to the anti-immigrant bunch?

The (Alabama immigration) bill requires police to verify a person’s immigration status if they are stopped for a traffic offense and can’t produce any documents, such as a driver’s license or passport. Those suspected of being in the country illegally can be detained.
Many opponents of the bill have expressed fears it would lead to racial profiling and harassment from police officers, but Blakely said that wasn’t a concern of his.
“People talk about racial profiling, but I don’t get too excited about that,” he said. “A good police officer is going to profile. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

Alright, all that aside, the point is that the sheriff is against the law because it’s impractical. He’s done the math and it’ll cost his department money he doesn’t have.

The Alabama  immigration bill has passed the state house and is awaiting a vote in the senate. More than likely, this bill, if approved into law, will be challenged in federal court as all other similar bills have.

Follow Victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda