Bentley says immigration job arrests won't stop Alabama job recruitment

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Gov. Robert Bentley said the arrests of two international auto plant workers under Alabama's immigration law "look bad" but maintained the state will still be successful in recruiting industry.

"We have had some unfortunate incidents that certainly look bad. But we are continuing to recruit jobs to the state. We have announcements that will be coming up very soon," Bentley said in response to questions about the arrests.

"Jobs are still coming to Alabama. We feel like Alabama is open for business," Bentley said.

Alabama's new immigration law has ensnared two international workers from two of the state's much coveted foreign automobile manufacturers.

A visiting German Mercedes-Benz executive was arrested and taken into custody after being unable to produce proper documents while driving a rental car in Tuscaloosa. The man was released after an associate retrieved his passport, and the charge was dismissed.

A Japanese man employed by Honda was issued a ticket 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. The worker produced a valid passport and a Social Security card that allowed him to work in the United States, but did not have a valid Alabama or Japanese license with him.

City officials said he was released on a signature bond at the checkpoint and was not taken to jail. The charge was dismissed after a copy of his Japanese license was shown to the court.

Critics have said the state is giving the impression that it is hostile to foreigners. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote an editorial inviting Mercedes to move to Missouri.

"Our state has many advantages over Alabama. We are the Show-Me State, not the 'Show me your papers' state,'" the paper wrote.

But proponents of the law have dismissed those concerns, saying the law worked and that the incidents have been exaggerated in the media.

Bentley, as he has said before, stated he is open to tweaks in the law, particularly those that would make it clearer.

"We are going to look at all aspects of it and see if there are any simplifications or clarifications that need to be made," Bentley said.

Posted in: Alabama, Alabama HB56, Alabama Law, ALP, American citizenship, anti-immigrant state, Business Visa, CHICAGO, federal immigration, immigration reform 2011