Mercedes Exec Arrested in Alabama Under New Immigration Laws
Detlev Hager was in Alabama on business from Germany to Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. satellite where it manufactures the M-Class sport utility and some C-Class models. When he took out his rental car on an errand, he was stopped for not having current tags on the vehicle. That wouldn’t be such a big deal if he had kept his passport on him when he was pulled over. But, like most people who travel overseas, he left it in his hotel room.
Due to the statutes that have made their way through Alabama in an effort to crack down on illegal immigration, the 46-year-old executive was detained by Tuscaloosa‘s police department until a colleague could get him his passport and visa. Alabama Homeland Security director Spencer Collier said of the incident ”It sounds like the officer followed the statute correctly,” according to an interview with the Associated Press.
We’re pretty sure Hager’s arrest wasn’t in his itinerary for the week, and we’re interested in seeing how Alabama plans to deal with the law after this “embarrassment,” as other foreign automakers like Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota have operations in Alabama. One thing is certain: Alabama governor Robert Bentley, a supporter of the bill, has said that unintended consequences like this have to be evaluated. If major companies find Alabama’s practices to be too unfriendly, it could spur an exodus of business, leaving the state’s future in peril.
Legislators probably aren’t too keen on that happening, so it’s best they sort out the details of the illegal immigration problem before they go gung-ho to arrest anyone with a pulse. We simply find snicker-worthy because it had to take an international executive getting arrested in the deep south before anyone seriously paid attention to such an inane set of overbearing legislation.