WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, ALPassports in high demand following immigration bill signing

Passports in high demand following immigration bill signing

According to Circuit Court Clerks across north Alabama applications for passports have doubled, even tripled since the Immigration bill was signed.  Clerks said the majority of these applications are for Hispanic children.

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Beginning last week, Hispanic immigrants are coming in droves to the Marshall County Courthouse to get passports.

"That week was 181 passports. And in a normal week we have 15, 20 at the most," said Cheryl Pierce, Marshall County Circuit Clerk.

But the passports are not for the immigrants who came from Latin America.

"It is not the adults they're getting for, it's their children that have been born here in the United States that they're having to get them for," added Pierce.

"To say that the Immigration bill had a direct effect on this might be an understatement," said Chuck Ellis, Albertville City Councilman.

Councilman Ellis said he's seen the trend and predicts it will continue.

"You're going to start seeing that self deportation, three, four, five times what you're seeing right now," added Councilman Ellis.

He believes the bill's impact comes not only through threat of detainment but it will be hard to feed your family if businesses use e-verify.

"If you start making the businesses do what they're supposed to be doing it's hard for people to get jobs," said Councilman Ellis.

As some illegals plan to leave, others will stay but the bill will go into effect on September 1st.

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