Citing the “draconian” nature of Alabama’s immigration law, several groups filed a

Citing the “draconian” nature of Alabama’s immigration law, several groups filed a class-action lawsuit in Montgomery today challenging the law, according to a press release.

The plaintiffs include the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Alabama, the National Immigration Law Center, the Asian Law Caucus, and the Asian American Justice Center. The law is set to take effect September 1.

The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (¡HICA!), a social service organization that works with the Latino community also joined the suit.

“We have filed this lawsuit today because Alabama’s immigration law is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Mary Bauer, legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “This law revisits the state’s painful racial past and tramples the rights of all Alabama residents. It should never become the law of the land.”