Hoover, AL Police Crack Down on Photographing Illegal Immigrants

From the Birmingham Post-Herald:

Dennis Burgess made a stir earlier this year when he started a one-man effort to curb illegal immigration in Hoover...

He targeted day laborers who gathered on Hoover's Lorna Road, away from the Multicultural Resource Center on city property, where day labor pickups are permitted. Almost all the day laborers are Hispanic immigrants and many are in the country illegally.

On his days off from work from his jobs at a company that prints checks and as a property manager for a real estate company, he snapped pictures of the workers and the vehicles that picked them up. He took the photos on about eight occasions between April and June, he said.

Burgess, who is against illegal immigration, said he was trying to shame contractors and individuals who pick up the workers. His goal was to dry up the jobs and encourage the day laborers to go home. He never sent the photos to any agency.

The activity brought him close enough to talk to day laborers and employers. Burgess said he was insulted and threatened, in the worst case by a driver who tried to run him over.

Hoover police saw the situation as a powder keg and told Burgess to stop.

Why? Are illegal immigrants allergic to camera flashes?