Hanu Karlapalem, the Democratic nominee for Alabama House District 4, criticized Senator Tommy Tuberville on Monday over a newly proposed immigration measure known as the “ASSIMILATION Act,” arguing that the legislation targets legal immigrants as well rather than only affecting the undocumented migration.
The proposal, introduced by Tuberville and Rep. Andy Ogles, would reduce the annual H-1B visa cap, raise the residency requirement for citizenship from five years to 10 years after obtaining a green card, and eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs that allow many international graduates to work temporarily in the United States after college.
The legislation would also impose stricter English-language requirements for naturalization and seek to end birthright citizenship, which is currently protected under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
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In a campaign statement released ahead of Alabama’s May 19 primary elections, Karlapalem said the bill would negatively affect industries in North Alabama that rely on skilled immigrant workers, including engineering, healthcare and technology.
“He was talking about the engineers at Redstone Arsenal, the researchers at UAH, the doctors and nurses at Huntsville Hospital,” Karlapalem said, referring to comments Tuberville made during a Senate floor speech last week in which he described “mass immigration” as “leeches” harmful to the country.
Karlapalem, a Madison resident and technology business owner, said immigrants have long contributed to the economic and scientific growth of the United States. He cited figures such as Albert Einstein and rocket engineer Wernher von Braun, who helped develop the U.S. space program in Huntsville, as examples of immigrants who played major roles in American innovation.
He also pointed to current technology leaders including Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Jensen Huang while arguing that restrictive immigration policies could discourage highly skilled workers from coming to the United States.
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He additionally criticized Alabama Senate Bill 21, a separate proposal pending in the Alabama Legislature that would prohibit naturalized citizens from holding elected office in the state. Opponents of the measure, including the editorial board of the Decatur Daily, have argued the proposal would create unequal treatment between natural-born and naturalized citizens.
Karlapalem also renewed criticism of his Republican opponent, Parker Moore, accusing him of not publicly responding to either Senate Bill 21 or Tuberville’s recent immigration remarks, and simultaneously called Parker out for not responding to his open challenge for three debates he proposed to have in each country.
Tuberville and Ogles, on the other hand, have described the ASSIMILATION Act as an effort to tighten immigration standards and encourage assimilation into American civic culture. Critics, however, say the proposal could significantly reshape legal immigration and naturalization pathways in the United States.