BIRMINGHAM, Al.
State Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, sponsor of the state's immigration law, faced criticism for -- and heard from a few supporters of -- the law while taking part in a panel discussion tonight in east Birmingham.
After a question about long lines at the Jefferson County courthouse following the law's implementation, Beason said he believed such problems were "hiccups" that will be resolved once people get accustomed to the law.
"A lot of it is a little bit of fear. They're not sure they're doing it right," Beason said. "As soon as they figure out what they should be doing, you won't see any hiccups."
The comments were made at the Second Annual Eastern Area Neighborhood Summit at the YMCA on Red Lane Road and was sponsored by Birmingham City Council member Lashunda Scales. More than 200 people attended the forum.
Saying he was "very proud of what we did" with the law, Beason said many criticisms, including notions that teachers would have to enforce immigration law and that Good Samaritans could be punished for helping an illegal immigrant change a tire, were not part of the law.
Two of the co-panelists, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham and State Sen. Linda Coleman, D-Birmingham, offered their criticism of the law.
Sewell, who earlier today told Birmingham business leaders the law is doing great harm to Alabama's national image, said the federal government, not states, should address immigration law.
"We're solving a problem that was not a problem in Alabama," Sewell said.
Coleman said consumers will foot the bill through higher food prices and that the bill will not create jobs. Most illegal immigrants, she said, work low-paying jobs others would not take.
"These people came to work. They didn't take my job and I doubt they took yours," Coleman said.
Beason said many citizens who worked blue-collar jobs, such as roofers and concrete-pourers, lost jobs to illegal immigrants.
"Folks decided we're going to hire cheap labor," Beason said. "People call me saying 'I'm losing my business and I'm probably going to lose my home'" as a result, he said.
Schools are asking for birth certificates to find out how much the state spends on educating illegal immigrants, Beason said.
Every dollar spent on those children is not available to educate children who are citizens, he said.
"We have plenty of needs from our own people. They come first," Beason said.
Illegal immigration has created problems, he said, including human trafficking and drugs. The law, he added, has created some jobs -- including openings at Marshall County poultry plants.
A few people who came to the podium said they support the law because they think all who enter the country should do so legally.
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