§ 31-13-5 — Enforcement of and Compliance with Federal Immigration Laws; Information Relating to Immigration Status; Violations; Penalties

(a) No official or agency of this state or any political subdivision thereof, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court of this state, may adopt a policy or practice that limits or restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws by limiting communication between its officers and federal immigration officials in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1373 or 8 U.S.C. § 1644, or that restricts its officers in the enforcement of this chapter. If, in the judgment of the Attorney General of Alabama, an official or agency of this state or any political subdivision thereof, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court in this state, is in violation of this subsection, the Attorney General shall report any violation of this subsection to the Governor and the state Comptroller and that agency or political subdivision shall not be eligible to receive any funds, grants, or appropriations from the State of Alabama until such violation has ceased and the Attorney General has so certified. Any appeal of the determination of the Attorney General as considered in this section shall be first appealed to the circuit court of the respective jurisdiction in which the alleged offending agency resides.
(b) All state officials, agencies, and personnel, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court of this state, shall fully comply with and, to the full extent permitted by law, support the enforcement of federal law prohibiting the entry into, presence, or residence in the United States of aliens in violation of federal immigration law.
(c) Except as provided by federal law, officials or agencies of this state or any political subdivision thereof, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court of this state, may not be prohibited or in any way be restricted from sending, receiving, or maintaining information relating to the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual or exchanging that information with any other federal, state, or local governmental entity for any of the following official purposes:
(1) Determining the eligibility for any public benefit, service, or license provided by any state, local, or other political subdivision of this state.
(2) Verifying any claim of residence or domicile if determination of residence or domicile is required under the laws of this state or a judicial order issued pursuant to a civil or criminal proceeding of this state.
(3) Pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1373 and 8 U.S.C. § 1644.
(d) A person who is a United States citizen or an alien who is lawfully present in the United States and is a resident of this state may file a petition with the appropriate local district attorney or the Attorney General requesting that he or she bring an action in circuit court to challenge any official or head of an agency of this state or political subdivision thereof, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court in this state, that adopts or implements a policy or practice that is in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1373 or 8 U.S.C. § 1644. If the district attorney or the Attorney General elects to not bring an action, he or she shall publicly state in writing the justification for such a decision. A district attorney or the Attorney General must either bring an action or publicly state why no action was brought within 90 days of receiving a petition. The petition must be signed under oath and under penalty of perjury, and must allege with specificity any alleged violations. The district attorney or the Attorney General shall give the official or head of an agency, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court of this state, 30 days’ notice of his or her intent to file such an action. If there is a judicial finding that an official or head of an agency, including, but not limited to, an officer of a court in this state, has violated this section, the court shall order that the officer, official, or head of an agency pay a civil penalty of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day that the policy or practice has remained in effect after the filing of an action pursuant to this section.
(e) A court shall collect the civil penalty prescribed in subsection (d) and remit one half of the civil penalty to the Alabama Department of Homeland Security and the second half shall be remitted to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency.
(f) Every person working for the State of Alabama or a political subdivision thereof, including, but not limited to, a law enforcement agency in the State of Alabama or a political subdivision thereof, shall have a duty to report violations of this section of which the person has knowledge. Any person who willfully fails to report any violation of this section when the person knows that this section is being violated shall be guilty of obstructing governmental operations as defined in Section 13A-10-2.
(g) For the purposes of this section, the term official or head of an agency of this state shall not include a law enforcement officer or personnel employed in a jail acting within the line and scope of his or her duty, except for a sheriff, a chief of police, or the head of any law enforcement agency.
(h) For the purposes of this section, any proceedings against an official shall be only in his or her official capacity. For the purposes of this section, the relevant statute of repose for assessing penalties shall be no more than 30 days prior to the initial allegation of the violations of this section.
(i) For the purposes of this section, the term “officer of the court” shall not be interpreted to interfere with the relationship between an attorney and his or her client.

Legislative History

(Act 2011-535, p. 888, §5; Act 2012-491, p. 1410, §1.)