Alabama immigration law shakes up mobile home parks (al.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Thomas Spencer -- The Birmingham News

Because of Alabama's new immigration law, owners of mobile homes who aren't legal residents of the United States won't be able to renew their registrations, meaning they'll have to haul their homes out of state, sell them or risk getting caught without the required decals.

In Jefferson County, the required tags come in two different forms -- as property tax decals for those who own both the home and the land where it sits, and land or registration decals for those who own the home but rent a lot in a mobile home park. In both instances, proof of citizenship or legal presence will be required. Registrations are due for renewal by Nov. 30 and property tax decals by the end of the year.

Under Section 30 of the law, neither the state nor any of its "political subdivisions" can engage in a business transaction with anyone unless their legal presence is verified. Federal courts have blocked the implementation of some portions of the law, but Section 30 is in effect.

James Pilgrim owns a mobile home park in Five Points West. He owns and rents out about half the trailers, while the other half of his residents own the trailers and rent a lot from him. Some of the residents are probably here illegally, Pilgrim acknowledged, but the U.S. government has not effectively policed the borders and has tacitly allowed the immigrants to live and work here for decades. It isn't right to strip them of what they've worked for and run them out of the country now, he said.

"They've let them people establish lives and jobs. They've raised families and children, children who know nothing about Mexico," he said. "I stood there and watched the people packing up everything they got.
***
more: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/10/alabama_immigration_law_shakes.html

[Devil_Fish]

1. sad. NT

[dkf]

2. Does that mean anyone who has been breaking the law for a number of years should be allowed to

Continue forever?

Let's say I drive 50 in a 35 zone for 20 years. If I get pulled over for speeding is my defense that I do it all the time so I should be able to continue driving that way?

How's about if I don't pay taxes for 5 years. Should I continue being able to do that because that's how I've done it in the past?

Or how about if I've been forging Loan documents for the last 10 years. Should I continue being able to do that because no ones checked on me all these years?

[Skittles]

3. well the answer is no, no, and no

except, in all three of your examples, if the authorities knew about it they did come after you - with ilelgal immigrants, they very often turned a blind eye until times got bad - that's not the best way to handle those who break the law

[dkf]

4. The only one they really come down on is not paying taxes.

People drive above the speed limit all the time and apparently the whole loan document mess has been around for quite a bit of time.

Often the authorities don't come down on things until there is an outcry. I would call that fairly typical.

But normally whoever is doing the lawbreaking realizes they've been caught and they acknowledge they ought not to do that. Illegal immigration is one of the few areas where those breaking the law claim it gives them further rights to do so. The only other area where I've seen this is squatters, and i personally have a problem with that.

[Skittles]

5. as someone who has had SEVERAL speeding tickets

I BEG TO DIFFER

[dkf]

6. You know the posted limit isn't really the one you get tagged at.

It's plus 7 or 10 or something.

[Skittles]

9. LOLOL

when I go to class to keep my insurance down, there are PLENTY of people who got nailed for 5, 4, even THREE miles over the speed limit

[Obamanaut]

10. I think the operative words here are "...over the speed limit..." There are

people who are not aware that 'speed limit' suggests a number one should not go beyond.

And then they get caught.

There is no written rule re a cushion of 2, or 5, or several miles over the limit before some member of the law enforcement will stop one. Is there?

[CreekDog]

31. look, that poster just wants illegals to be homeless

or else they would oppose this law.

but they want bad things to happen to illegals. in Arizona, in Alabama, oh, anywhere in the USA.

:wtf:

[southmost]

11. roflmao...what a luxury

I've clocked several times at just 2 miles over the speed limit....

but then again it could be the whole driving while suspiciously looking like "an illegal" aka having too much indigenous gene expression and not enough european gene expression

[pampango]

12. The "cushion" for Black/Hispanic drivers may be 2 mph, while for whites it may be 7-10 mph

depending on what city/state you are driving in.

In the "Arizona-imitator" southern states the cushion that applies to "driving while Hispanic" may even be a negative number. (At least that's what republican legislators must hope. The more you hassle minorities, the more likely they are to leave the state.)

Indeed too much indigenous DNA can make you a very "suspicious" driver.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. You have never been in any of our small town speed traps, have you?

ONE mile over the limit, they nail you, give you a choice of a fine or time in jail till the judge shows up on his visit. Most folks know the game, and crawl thru the teeny towns lining miles of secondary rural roads.

[CreekDog]

30. You win. Make illegals live outside

you'll be very happy knowing that the undocumented are living outside, in the cold, beginning November 30th.

you are such a guiding light of progressive, liberal caring on this site.

[COLGATE4]

33. That;'s fallacious reasoning. This is not a continuing violation. You should

instead be comparing it to being ticketed 20 years later for a speeding offense in 1991. Taxes are required every year, so that analogy doesn't fly, just as every forged document is a criminal act in and of itself. But thanks for playing.

[Politicalboi]

7. What do we ALL do if

The Native Americans start asking us for our papers? I mean I'm all for legal immigration, but this is ridiculous.

[pampango]

8. The fact that American minority citizens are uprooted means little to the law's republican authors.

The conservative base in Alabama is undoubtedly smiling as Hispanics (citizens, legal and illegal immigrants) leave the state. The Alabama Chamber of Commerce is not happy, but the teabagger base (sans the hoods) are never unhappy to see fewer minority faces around.

There is a reason that these conservative (ALEC-written) state immigration laws only pass in states that are run by republicans. Democratic-controlled states (California, Maryland, etc.) are in the process of passing versions of the Dream Act, while conservative ones go in this opposite direction.

If Southern republicans are right, these tough state immigration laws will create a paradise for American workers throughout the South in the near future once Hispanics ("illegals", "legals" and "American citizens") are no longer around. (Studies don't show that this is what will actually happen but if you want to believe it enough you can convince yourself that it will happen. When it doesn't actually happen, republicans can invent another "other" to blame the "surprising" failure of these republican laws to improve the welfare of workers.)

The Progressive Caucus doesn't think this approach is the right way to deal with the problem, but Alabama's republicans car little for what the CPC thinks.

[ret5hd]

13. Some legal minds fill me in here...

Is it illegal for foreign citizens who live in their home country to own real property in AL? Can a Mexican or Irish or Lithuanian citizen who is a resident of their native country own land in AL?

If they can, how can this foreign citizen who resides in their native country pay the property taxes?

I (have always) assume(d) that it is legal for a foreign citizen living in their native country to own real property in any state. I have always assumed that the property owner has some means of paying the property taxes on their property.

Now, if I am correct that a foreign citizen that is a resident of their native country can own real property in AL, and also has a means of (and right to) paying the property taxes (i am assuming that this often happens thru the mail) then couldn't the residents here transfer ownership of this real property to relatives living in their native country and handle all this stuff that way?

[COLGATE4]

34. It probably would work, at least from a strictly legal standpoint. But

the problem is that most of the people affected do not have the economic or educational resources to be able to pull this off. They're scared witless and will just move back into the shadows again, leaving behind what they have to leave behind.

[justiceischeap]

15. This doesn't only effect the immigrants but the owner of this trailer park

too. He's going to lose income because of this. Hell, it's feasible that an action like this could bankrupt a person in the owners position.

[RebelOne]

21. I live in a mobile home park in North Georgia.

And when Georgia tightened the immigration laws, the owner posted a notice that tenants would not have to show proof of citizenship. That's because they will rent to anyone that can pay the rent or trailer payments. I just about had a fit when the management rented to a Mexican couple with four children. Mexican was not the problem, but the four noisy kids, plus their barking dog, are driving me up a wall.

[jowsybart]

16. so what the majority of alabama citizens want is of no import?

so much for democracy?

Oh, that's right--it's a "republic"....

Well, now you know why the rich run rampant in the USA, why we will never have a real social welfare state, why the war machine runs rampant, etc etc etc. Because it is a "republic." And not a "democracy." Right?

But, sweeties, if it is not a democracy, then the ones with the most gold get to run things. And they are doing that now. And they are making sure that the alabama law, approved democratically by the majority, is being trashed.
But when the rich rule because there is no democracy, we also have other "side effects.


Oh, yes, that undemocratic republic is something you cheer when it supports your dogma (e.g., when the feds stop local democracy from stopping immigration), but which you bemoan when it supports the dogma of your opposing political tribe (no progressive taxation etc). Say, has anyone here ever thought that maybe there is a better way? How about democracy for a change?

[ret5hd]

18. you will soon tire of your "states rights" mantra here. nobody's buying...

or is fooled by your bullshit.

[jowsybart]

20. oohhh....wicked riposte

[ret5hd]

27. thank you. i live for your approval.

[pampango]

28. "If the state of Alabama wants separate drinking fountains for Blacks and whites or

require that Blacks ride in the back of the bus, who are you northern liberals in the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court to try to tell us we can't do that?"

Almost seems that George Wallace has come back from the grave to put in an appearance at DU just to liven things up. ;)

[jowsybart]

29. the most leftist nations in the history of the world rely on a high degree of democracy

if you do not have a high degree of democracy, you cannot get the things they have in austria, germany, sweden, norway, france, italy et al. Period.



What is really going on here in the usa is that the elite have created two opposing political armies that do ideological battle with each other. These two armies are carved out of the majority bloc, which is the divide et impera tactic used once again. The most salient aspect of this "battle" is the core hatred these two armies feel for each other.

And the consequence of the indoctrination of these armies is their hatred of democracy, for such democracy would allow the other side to live life as they wanted. That is the primary goal for these foot soldiers--to dominate the other side and force feed their own ideology to the other side. To make the hated "others" do "what is right." A meaningless battle that can never be won.

And the only goals that are ever met are the goals of the elite whose propaganda has indoctrinated these two armies.


the nominal "goals" of these two sides are telling: the so called culture wars are good examples of these goals--the most prominent of which are basically meaningless for the majority of the population. The really meaningful goals, such as strengthening the social welfare state, fighting crime, stopping mass immigration, etc, are paid only lip service or are destroyed as a consequence of the meaningless battle fought between these two armies.

[pinboy3niner]

22. As it's a constitutional democratic republic, no...

...majorities do not have a right to enact laws that violate the Constitution. It will be up to the courts to decide which parts of the law are constitutional and which are not.

Judicial review is part of democracy here, too...sweetie.

[jowsybart]

24. democracy vs pseudo-democracy

if I stick a feather in my hat and call it macaroni, that don't mean it really is, sweetie

[pinboy3niner]

25. Where you stick your feather is your business

But if a majority of voters pass a law, say, to ban mosques, there is a reason why the law, "approved democratically by the majority," will be overturned.

What you call 'trashing' some of us call upholding the Constitution.

[jowsybart]

26. the elite and their pseudo-democracy have many enablers

at least here in the USA. In western europe, democracy rules. And the results are there for all to see. But most cannot understand what they see.

[Shagbark Hickory]

17. I could better understand the outrage if this hasn't been already going on for years.

The cops can ask you for identification if they have a reason to suspect you're doing something illegal, be you in a car or in your home or in your workplace or on the sidewalk minding your own business.

Not long ago I was asked for my papers and I was in my home. Cops drove up, thought the security camera on the house meant I was operating a meth lab and there you have it. My first mistake was opening the door but they wanted to come take a look around, threatened the usual "We'll bring a k9 unit" etc etc.

[ret5hd]

19. Well, don't leave us hangin'...did they come back?

[spanone]

23. when bigotry prevails.....

[Generic Other]

32. And meanwhile the apple growers in Washington state can't find pickers

even for $150 a day.