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Janet Napolitano: No federal help on Alabama immigration law

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday the agency is not working with Alabama to help the state implement its controversial new immigration law and she expressed concerns about the impact of the measure on Hispanics, Politico reports.

Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Napolitano was asked by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) whether her department has been working with Alabama officials to aid the implementation of the law, which is regarded as one of the toughest in the nation. Napolitano said no, adding that the DHS has instead been “working with the Department of Justice on its challenge to that law.”

Asked to comment on the law’s impact on the state’s Hispanic residents, Napolitano said, “I don’t know the answer to that question right now. The law has just gone into effect.”

When Scott suggested that Hispanics must be “adversely effected” by the law because they have to show a form of identification “everywhere they go” – something the congressman said other citizens don’t have to do – Napolitano conceded, “I think that should be a real concern. You’re correct.”

Read full article: POLITICO