April 16, 2012
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Q&A with Spencer Collier on Alabama immigration law By SCOTT WRIGHT CENTRE — Alabama Department of Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier was in town last week to speak to the Kiwanis Club about illegal immigration. After an address to around 100 club members and guests, Director Collier sat down with The Post to answer a few questions about Alabama's new immigration law. Q: If there are no penalties for not signing up for E-Verify, as the new law mandates, why should anyone do so? A: Well, number one, it's the law. And number two, it's good for businesses because it is a “safe harbor.” If a complaint does come down the road, the business owner can show the certificate where they signed up for E-Verify. Q: What is the frustration level when law enforcement officers in Alabama try to apply the immigration law and then federal officials say, in effect, “we don't want them” and release suspected illegal immigrants? A: I think it is just that—frustration. It takes time away from what they would normally be doing, or from their ability to respond to a call, to deal with it, to do their job. Q: What do you tell your people, and law officers, to try and encourage them to continue to try and enforce the immigration law despite the roadblocks at the federal level? A: What we're telling them is that the law says they should be a “reasonable attempt” to enforce it, and that as long as they do that they are doing their part. If the federal government doesn't act because of administrative or policy decisions, shame on them. Q: What would you say to Alabamians who believe there must be a better way for the Legislature to do something about illegal immigration besides pass a law that is now having its basic constitutionality questioned in U.S. court? A: I do think we made an effort to reach out to the federal government. Basically, the federal government does not view someone who is in this country illegally as a priority. On the other hand, in the state of Alabama, we have made the decision that if you are here illegally, then it is illegal—that is the key word. Q: Which governing body has its priorities in the right place? A: The federal government's priority is that if someone is here illegally and they are involved in major criminal activity, that's a priority. I understand that—that it is an allocation question and they have to put their resources where the biggest issue is. But all politics is local. From the state and local perspective our priority is that if someone is here illegal and taking jobs from Alabama citizens, that's our priority. |