Charge dismissed against Honda employee arrested under Alabama immigration law

LEEDS, Al.
An attorney for a Japanese man employed by Honda who was arrested under Alabama's immigration law faxed a Leeds city judge the man's valid driver's license this evening, and the charge was dismissed.
Leeds City Magistrate Laura Roberts identified the employee as Ichiro Yada.

Leeds Mayor Eric Patterson stood by the officer's decision to arrest the Honda employee on Monday night during a license checkpoint on U.S. 78 in Leeds.
Patterson said Yada was ticketed for driving without a valid license and was arrested for being in violation of a section of Alabama's immigration law that requires everyone to have a valid license while driving.
City officials said he was released on a signature bond at the checkpoint and was not taken to jail. There was a magistrate at the checkpoint.
The immigration law amended another law on driving without a license to require officers to arrest a driver if police can't verify that the driver has been issued a valid license.
"The police are instructed to follow the law as written," Patterson said. "People are trying to use this to make the law look bad. That's not our problem. We're going to enforce the laws of state of Alabama."