Religious leaders battle Alabama immigration law

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Alabama religious leaders have filed statements
in federal court expressing their concern that a new immigration law
would interfere with the practice of their religion and Christian
mandates to minister to all people.

Bishops in the Episcopal, United Methodist and Roman Catholic
churches and 17 other church ministry leaders on Wednesday (Aug. 17)
filed affidavits in the federal court lawsuits that seek to block
enforcement of the new law.

Their lawsuit was consolidated with those filed by the U.S. Justice
Department and Hispanic advocacy groups that also sought to void the new
state law.

Most of the provisions of Alabama's new immigration law go into
effect Sept. 1.

The bishops in their affidavits described their churches'
ministries, including those designed to help feed, clothe and shelter
the poor.

"In providing or supporting these ministries, we do not -- and would
not -- refuse to assist any person in need because he or she lacked
legal immigration status," said Episcopal Bishop of Alabama Henry
Parsley.

The new immigration law would make providing those ministries and
services a crime, the bishops and others who filed affidavits wrote.

State officials said church leaders' concerns about what religious
activities would fall within the new state law are "exaggerated."

Sections of the law were modeled after existing federal law, state
attorneys said.

"The church leaders apparently do not view their activities as
violating federal law, and they have failed to point to a single federal
prosecution under the federal law -- which again was the basis for
Alabama's statute -- for any type of ministry activities," state
attorneys said.