16 Countries Side with Justice Department in Lawsuit Against Alabama

Sixteen countries, including Mexico, have filed briefs supporting the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Alabama’s recently passed immigration enforcement law. In June, the Alabama legislature passed a bill that many believe is tougher than Arizona’s SB1070 bill that also drew a lawsuit from federal prosecutors last year. According to the attorney who filed the briefs, the 16 countries “want one immigration law and not 50.”

In addition to the Justice Department, the Roman Catholic Church, ACLU, and National Immigration Law Center have all filed suits against the state.

“Mexico has an interest in protecting its citizens and ensuring that
their ethnicity is not used as basis for state-sanctioned acts of bias
and discrimination,” the brief filed by the 16 countries said.

The Justice Department claims that Alabama’s law oversteps federal authority by trying to enforce federal immigration laws.

Alabama’s law includes provisions that require all businesses in the state to use E-Verify or face suspension of their business licenses. A recent Supreme Court decision upheld an Arizona law that did the same thing. But federal courts have ruled many provisions of Arizona’s SB1070, which provided the model for Alabama’s law, as unconstitutional. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has vowed to bring the fight to the Supreme Court.

In addition to Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay are listed on the brief.