Et in Alabama Ego

外星人在亚拉巴马星球

The state has come up with America’s harshest immigration law

该州实行美国最严移民法

There are few immigrants in Alabama, and even fewer who are there illegally. Roughly 3% of the state’s population is foreign-born, compared with 12.5% nationwide, and many of those people are legal immigrants. So in June, when Alabama passed the nation’s most draconian anti-immigration law, it struck many observers as a bit of an overreaction.

亚拉巴马州的移民很少，非法移民更少。相比于全美外国出生人口12.5%的比重，该州只有大约3%，但其中很多是非法移民。因此，七月份当亚拉巴马通过了全国最严格的反移民法，很多观察人士大为惊讶，认为此举有点反应过度。

Frustrated by long federal inaction, several states have taken immigration into their own hands in recent years. The Alabama law imitates those in some respects. Like Arizona’s, it allows police to ask people about their immigration status when questioning or arresting them. As in neighbouring Georgia, the penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers will be stiffened. But the Alabama law goes much further than either. It bars people from giving lifts in their cars to undocumented immigrants, or doing them various other favours. Because of poor phrasing, it might even keep some legal migrants out of state universities. It also requires schools to determine the legal status of pupils’ parents. That is startling; it could discourage parents from enrolling their American-born children.

由于联邦政府长时间在移民问题上的不作为，一些州近些年来已经把移民事宜握在了自己的手里。亚拉巴马州的移民法在某些方面模仿了其他州的做法。和亚利桑那州一样，该州法律将允许警察询问或逮捕人时可以询问其移民地位。与临州佐治亚类似，新法将加强对雇佣未注册工人的雇主惩罚。但是亚拉巴马的移民法比两者都更进一步。它禁止人们在路上搭乘未注册移民，或者为其提供任何帮助。由于措辞含糊，甚至它还可能阻止部分合法移民进入州立大学。它还要求学校确认学生父母的合法地位。这个规定令人惊诧，它可能会打击父母让其在美国出生的孩子入学的积极性。

One of the primary complaints about the new law is pragmatic: if you are going to have illegal immigrants, it would be best if they were not undereducated, vulnerable, and afraid of the cops. “I would like people to come forward and report serious crimes,” says Mary Bauer, the legal director for the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC). “I think that’s in my interest.”

对新法最主要的担忧是实用主义的：既然你有非法移民，如果他们都受过良好教育、面对生活不脆弱、面对警察不害怕就最好不过了。“我希望人们上我这来报告严重罪行。” 位于蒙哥马利的南方贫穷法律中心的法务总监（SPLC）Mary Bauer说，“我们就是干这个的。”

The other main issue is that parts of the law, at least, may be unconstitutional. Earlier this month the SPLC, along with several other civil-rights groups, filed a lawsuit. One plaintiff, Matt Webster, is adopting two undocumented boys. Federal law allows that, but the children do not gain legal status until several years after the adoption is completed. In the meantime, if the law takes effect on September 1st as scheduled, Mr Webster would not be allowed to drive his children to school.

还有一个主要问题是该法的至少部分内容和宪法不一致。本月初南方贫穷法律中心与其他几家人权团体联合发起了一场诉讼。原告之一Matt Webster收养了两名未注册男孩。这符合联邦法律规定，但两男孩直到收养完成后好几年之后才获得合法地位。同时，如果新移民法按计划于9月1日生效，Webster将不被允许将他的孩子送入学校。

In a speech this week Mike Hubbard, the speaker of the Alabama House and a sponsor of the bill, said that he understands that parts of the law may be struck down. That is what has happened to such laws in other states. In Alabama, it might even be tacitly welcome. There was no pressing public need for such a law, given how few immigrants are in the state, but some saw it as good politics. Once the bill was written, Republicans, who control both chambers of the state legislature and hold all the statewide offices, could hardly vote against it without looking like liberals. A setback from the courts would save Alabama the cost and trouble of full implementation, without embarrassing anyone. In fact, Republicans could claim to be victims of federal meddling.

该法案的支持者、亚拉巴马州议院议长Mike Hubbard在本周的一次演讲中，对该法部分规定可能会作废表示理解。这种现象也发生在其他州的相关法律中。在亚拉巴马州，新法甚至可能会受人们心照不宣的欢迎。公众对该法没有迫切的需求，因为该州移民甚少，但一些人认为这是好政治。一旦该法案被通过，共和党即使支配参众两院并掌握全国州所有公务员职位，但如果不采取（在移民问题上持宽松态度的）自由派眼光或将很难通过投票将其废除。一桩新法在法庭受挫的案件或许可以为亚拉巴马省下由于完全实施该法产生的不少成本以及麻烦，并且不会让任何人难堪。实际上，共和党或许要成为联邦干扰的受害者。

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