Alabama Governor Robert Bentley just signed a controversial law that will signal the state’s crack down on illegal immigration. The new bill requires landlords, public education administrators, and employers to check the citizenship of the people who rent, enroll in public schools, or hire. The new Alabama immigration law also allows the authorities to verify the immigration status of a suspected illegal alien if the person is arrested or booked into jail.

Immigration-Law There are several groups that condemn the bill, which include the Southern Poverty Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union. The two organizations are part of a coalition that will file a lawsuit against to challenge the bill.

The new Alabama law is much tougher than the one in Arizona, which requires state police to verify the person’s immigration status when stopped. Aliens must always carry their immigration documentation with then all the time. Employers and transporters of illegal laborers over the border will be given harsh penalties.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the law on April 23, 2010 and it is still being challenged in court up to present. He accused the federal government of not enforcing the country’s immigration laws and this is also the same reason given by the legislators in Alabama when they passed the new immigration law.