Illegal immigrants who had feared deportation trickling back to Alabama despite crackdown The USA Times

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Illegal immigrants who had feared deportation trickling back to Alabama despite crackdown

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Some families who left Alabama last fall in fear of the state's tough crackdown on illegal immigration are returning to the state.

No one knows exactly how many people left Alabama because of the law, parts of which were blocked by federal judges, so it's impossible to say how many families have returned. Still, there are examples.

Some are like Ana Jimenez and her husband, who were terrified of being sent back to their native Mexico. They moved more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometres) to Los Angeles from Alabama after the law took effect but have since returned.

Gwen Ferreti, a researcher and activist in the Hispanic community, says some immigrants remain wary but are coming back because of their deep ties to the state.