Immigrants make plans for children

Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

Terrified by Alabama’s strict new immigration crackdown, parents living in the state illegally say they are doing something that was unthinkable just days ago — asking friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances to take their children if they’re arrested or deported.

Many illegal immigrants signed documents in the past week allowing others to care for their children if needed, assistance groups say, and a couple living illegally in nearby Shelby County extracted a promise from the man’s boss to send their three young children — all U.S. citizens — to Mexico should they be jailed under the law.

A key sponsor of the measure, state Sen. Scott Beason, said such concerns weren’t raised when legislators were considering the bill, and he wonders if the stories now are designed to “pull on heart strings” and build sympathy for illegal immigrants.

Social worker Jazmin Rivera helps dozens of Spanish-speaking immigrants fill out paperwork weekly, and many are seeking legal documents called powers of attorney so friends and others could care for their children.

Beason, R-Gardendale, has doubts about how widespread such cases are.

Alabama’s law, regarded by many as the toughest in the U.S., was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature this year and signed by Gov. Robert Bentley. A federal judge blocked some parts of it but allowed key pieces to stand — including a provision that allows police to hold suspected illegal immigrants without bond.