Should Alabama Schools Help Catch Illegal Immigrants? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

Should Alabama Schools Help Catch Illegal Immigrants? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com: The decision by Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn of Federal District Court in Birmingham to uphold most provisions of the state’s far-reaching immigration enforcement law has upended Hispanic communities in Alabama. Among other measures, the ruling requires schools to ascertain the immigration status of children at registration time.

Since the announcement of the decision on Sept. 28, school officials have noticed that more Hispanic students are missing from classrooms. On Sept. 30, about 5 percent of the state's Hispanic schoolchildren -- 1,988 students -- were absent.