MONTGOMERY, Ala.—More than 300 rallied in the courtyard of the Alabama Statehouse here Feb. 14 calling for repeal of the anti-immigrant law HB 56. Buses came from cities throughout Alabama, carrying construction workers, poultry workers, agricultural workers and others.

Baldo-Miro Perez, 20, a Guatemalan construction worker living in Dothan, told the Militant he came with a friend “to get more information and explain to my neighbors not to be scared, not to leave the state.”

Speakers at the rally included Sharon Richards, president of the Metro Montgomery NAACP; various religious leaders; undocumented youth; and others.

The law requires police to check citizenship status during traffic stops, and government officials to verify legal residence for everyday transactions like obtaining a car license tag, enrolling a child in school, getting a job, or renewing a business license.

—JANICE LYNN