House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn)

Speculation has reached a fever pitch over what the legislature has in store for last session’s controversial immigration bill, HB56. Speaker Hubbard has now indicated that related legislation could be introduced in the next few weeks.

The Mobile Press-Register ran a piece last week in which Baldwin County officials were quoted as saying that few changes are expected to the legislation. Speaker Hubbard also told Yellowhammer Politics in our interview with him last week that we should not expect the legislature “to repeal it or to water it down or to back up on the original premise of the bill.” Speaker Hubbard went on to say, “What we will do is make changes to the bill to make it more workable, to make it more enforceable.”

Early last week, The Southern Poverty Law Center released a report citing discriminatory acts against Latinos since HB56 was signed into law. The stories discussed in the report are said to have come from a hotline that the organization set up last year in conjunction with other pro-illegal immigration groups. Of course, this is the same Souther Poverty Law Center that labeled “Focus on the Family” and numerous other faith-based organizations as “hate groups.” They also attacked Texas Governor Rick Perry for his participation in a stadium prayer event which he organized in cooperation with the American Family Association (another SPLC labeled “hate group”).

The majority of Alabamians are strongly in favor of Alabama’s tough immigration law and are going to be pleased to see the GOP-led legislature hold-the-line on HB56.