A federal judge presiding in the lawsuit over Alabama’s immigration crackdown said in a hearing Wednesday that “there are a lot of problems with this statute,” and that it could lead to a number of unlawful arrest suits.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn heard arguments in a Birmingham court about the Department of Justice’s request that the court block parts of the law until its lawsuit can be settled. “My job is to decide if this is constitutional,” Blackburn said in the hearing.
The DOJ argues that the law, set to go into effect Sept. 1, interferes with federal immigration policies, and is therefore unconstitutional.
The law would allow law enforcement to verify the immigration status of anyone they suspected of being in the state illegally, and make it illegal to hire or rent property to illegal immigrants.
Late Update: Blackburn said in the hearing that she would not rule on the law Wednesday. According to MyFoxAL.com, she also indicated that she might rule on it piece-by-piece, and not overturn it or uphold it as a whole.
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