Immigration bill that creates the crime of human smuggling awaits the governor's signature

The Alabama Senate agreed to the changes in the house to an immigration law that causes the crime of human smuggling. The invoice for your signature will pass to governor Kay Ivey's desk.

The Senate 53's draft law would indicate that a person commits the crime of human smuggling if “they knowingly transported to this state if he or she knows that it is an illegal extraterrestrial”.

Human smuggling would be a crime of class C.

Exceptions for human smuggling are:

• A lawyer who transports a client from a federal immigration facility or other institution of the federal, state or local government
• Every educator or other employee of an educational company to transport a student as part of an official educational trip
• Every health service provider to transport or treat a patient
• So that a person has transported a person for non -commercial religious or charitable purposes
• So that a person has transported a person to or from a place for state purposes

SB53 would also outline the process that the local law enforcement authorities should follow in order to determine whether someone is illegal in custody in the United States.

Read the invoice here:

SB53 initially included the creation of a crime to illegally hide a person in the United States. It would be an offense of class A to hide an undocumented immigrant. The crime was removed from legislation before the Senate passed it in February.

If the governor signs the draft law, he will be effective on October 1, 2025.

Senator Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, sponsored the law.