Alabama’s Controversial Immigration Law Hits Close to Home for Mercedes

Update: The case against the Mercedes Benz Executive has been dropped.

One of the latest possible “illegals” has been arrested in Alabama for not carrying his driver’s license under the new anti-illegal immigration law. The problem? The suspect is also an executive manager for Mercedes Benz.

From the AP:

Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steven Anderson told The Associated Press an officer stopped a rental vehicle for not having a tag Wednesday night and asked the driver for his license. The man only had a German identification card, so he was arrested and taken to police headquarters, Anderson said.

The 46-year-old executive was charged with violating the immigration law for not having proper identification, but he was released after an associate retrieved his passport, visa and German driver's license from the hotel where he was staying, Anderson said.

Prior to the new law, a person driving without a license would not be arrested, but instead received a ticket and a court summons.

Mercedes Benz’s first U.S. assembly plant, built in 1993, is located near Tuscaloosa where the arrest took place.

Alabama’s immigration law is thought to be the toughest in the country and is currently facing several legal challenges. Parts of the law are on hold while those challenges proceed, but the part that allows officers to check immigration status during routine traffic stops is still in effect.