MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Fourteen Republican state lawmakers are accusing the U.S. Justice Department of threatening to "undermine Alabama's state sovereignty" by attempting to block the state's strict new immigration law.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, and House Majority Leader Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, are among those listed in a court brief filed Monday that outlined the lawmakers' position.
The Justice Department is among several entities that have sued to overturn Alabama's new immigration statute. It was signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley on June 9.
The law makes it a state crime to be an undocumented alien in Alabama, allows law enforcement officers to detain those they have "reasonable suspicion" of being in the nation illegally and requires schools to collect immigration information on students, among other provisions.
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