Appeals court says Alabama must stop asking K-12 students about citizenship

The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta has overruled part of a lower judge's decision and ordered Alabama to stop questioning grade-school students and parents about their citizenship status, the AP reports.

But the court did let stand for now the part of the state law that requires local police officers to ask for proof of legal status during routine stops if they suspect someone might be an illegal immigrant. A similar provision, first passed by Arizona in 2010, has been temporarily blocked from going into effect by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. If the two appeals courts ultimately disagree over the constitutionality of this part of the law, the issue will likely end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 11th Circuit sided with the Obama administration's argument that the schools provision of the law should be blocked as the courts rule on its constitutionality because ongoing enforcement could have a "chilling" effect on enrollment among immigrant families. The Alabama school system reported widespread absences among Hispanic students the week after the law passed, and local news reports suggested families were fleeing the state because they were afraid they would be deported. A final decision on Alabama's immigration law, which is considered the toughest in the nation, won't be made for months.

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