Alabamians Rally Against HB-56 at State Capitol
Alabamian residents, clergy, and immigration advocates spent Valentine’s Day this year bringing attention to the devastating consequences of their state’s anti-immigrant legislation, H.B 56.
Entitled “One Heart, One Alabama”, the Valentine’s Day rally at the State Capitol in Montgomery raised the voices of immigrants who have experienced the hostile and racist environment that has resulted from the shortsighted legislation.
From the Associated Press:
Carmen Espinoza, 17, a high school student at Montgomery Catholic, moved to the state from California last year. An immigrant from Mexico, she is in the country legally, but some friends and family members are not.…”In California, there was a big Hispanic community — we never had to deal with racism…Now here, when people see me, the first thing they ask is, ‘Do you have papers?’ It’s not fair. We’re all equal….It’s a fear we all live with — our family could be stopped because of our appearance, It’s horrible to live in fear.
With children scared to attend school and people fleeing the state, advocates and immigrants around the state are calling for nothing less than the repeal of HB 56. Check out this video to hear from brave Alabamians at “One Heart, One Alabama” and the advocates who are rallying behind them: