After being passed just last week, a federal appeals court panel has blocked the Alabama Immigration law requiring all undocumented aliens to carry identification and requiring all schools to collect information on immigration status.

The law was passed just last month and caused quite a ruckus in schools all over the state. Hundreds of Hispanic children didn’t attend school during the first few days after the law took affect for fear that immigration officials would be waiting at the doors.

In the state capital of Montgomery, 231 Hispanic children were absent the first day the law went into effect. Numbers of absentees were abnormally high in other parts of the state as well and many withdrew their children from school all together.

The law was passed simply for information gathering and officials say it is unfortunate that the children are suffering because of misunderstandings about possible legal repercussions.

The Court of Appeals

This may be what led this issue to the court of appeals. The American Civil Liberties Union along with the Southern Poverty Law Center presented their legal arguments and challenges to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals who blocked the provisions previous put into place.

They did this on the grounds that this law would do more harm than it would good, especially in the school systems.

Blocking the Law- Temporarily

Parts of the law have been temporarily blocked due to constitutional questions, a process that could take months to clear up. Sections of the law were allowed to go into effect which gives both sides a small victory.

The temporarily blocked provisions include:
- Requiring state officials to check immigration status of children in public schools
- “Willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration card” a misdemeanor

The appeals court said it would hear arguments as early as December for constitutional issues. However, many people fear that this issue may ultimately have to be solved by the U.S. Supreme Court.