Scott Beason, sponsor of Alabama immigration law, disappointed by ...

"I don't think being soft on illegal immigration gains the GOP any votes," said Beason

Alabama Sen. Scott Beason said he was disappointed that Alabama today lost its appeal for a rehearing, meaning Alabama will not be allowed to check the immigration status of students.

"Unfortunately, the states seem to be left at the mercy of whatever the federal government is trying to do," said Beason, who sponsored Alabama's 72-page immigration law.

Today's ruling largely ends initial efforts to enforce what has been considered the nation's toughest anti-immigration act. Much of the law remains unenforceable, having been blocked by federal courts.

"The law of the land is not being followed," said Beason, R-Gardendale, who also appears to be nearing the end of what he called an "exciting ride" in the national spotlight.

"Where we go from here is an interesting question," said Beason of state immigration law. "I'm looking at every option we may have."

But since President Obama won re-election with the support of 70 percent of Latino voters, national GOP lawmakers have been backing away from tough immigration policies, such as the models in Alabama and Arizona.

Today two Republicans, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, introduced the ACHIEVE Act, a modified version of the DREAM Act. The new bill creates a pathway to legal status for undocumented children.

"I don't think being soft on illegal immigration gains the GOP any votes," said Beason, calling the national GOP efforts wrong and "just throwing darts" to appeal to voters.

He said at one point last year, as he was receiving calls from across the country, he found that many who had come to the country legally supported his efforts. He said that illegal immigration provides cheap labor that suppresses wages for Alabama citizens. And he said the issue still needs to be addressed.

But in the end, federal judges blocked most of his legislation. Illegal immigrants can not be stopped from entering into contracts. It's not illegal to rent to or give a ride to an undocumented immigrant. Schools do not need to inquire into immigration status of students.

Perhaps the most controversial section survived repeated challenges. Local and state police in Alabama and Arizona can inquire into immigration status during traffic stops. Also, businesses can be required to use a federal database to verify the immigration status of employees.

Beason said Congress needs to secure the border before tackling immigration reform. He said that may entail a fence or may mean better enforcement of existing laws. "It's like a plumbing problem," he said. "Until you fix the leak you don't do repairs on the house."

Despite legal setbacks and much national press, Beason said Alabama's experiment was not detrimental to the state's reputation. In encouraging immigrants to "self-deport," which was also the official policy of presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Alabama was repeatedly portrayed as cruel and intolerant, Beason acknowledged. But he said the arguments were based in partisan politics.

"I think that's just what some people who sit in ivory towers in some newspapers like to say," said Beason, pointing out that few national news outlets reported "whining stories" about Alabama failing to remove racist language from the state constitution this month. He said that was because Democratic groups here opposed the removal.

He said the immigration law did not interfere with Alabama's efforts to land foreign businesses, including Airbus. He contends the "bellyaching and moaning" over the Alabama law was a Democratic effort at the national level used to drive a wedge between wings of the Republican party.

Beason, who lost a bid to step up to Congress earlier this year, said he stands by efforts to make the state unwelcome to undocumented workers.?

"Some people nationally care about making sure their team is in power" even if some of the policies are identical between the parties, said Beason. "You've got to stand for some sort of principles."

Source: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/11/scott_beason_sponsor_of_alabam.html

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