Alabama Jobless Rate Drops Sharply as State's Immigration Law Takes Hold

Alabamas unemployment rate continued to fall at a record pace in November as the state's tough immigration-enforcement laws took hold.

The jobless rate dropped 0.6 percent to 8.7 percent, partly because the states employers opened up jobs to Americans after shedding illegal immigrants, the Daily Caller reported.

The unemployment rate is far below Octobers rate of 9.3 percent and Septembers rate of 9.8 percent.

Public-school enrollment has also declined in Alabama, while the student count is up in Florida, where legislators failed to enact tougher immigration laws.

The Alabama immigration reforms copied federal laws to make it more difficult for local entrepreneurs and businesses to hire or trade with illegal aliens.

Top state officials, including Gov. Robert Bentley, have said they plan to make some unspecified adjustments to the law in the new year to counter legal challenges by the Obama administration, business lobbies and immigration enthusiasts, the Daily Caller reported.