as the strictest state immigration law in the nation . Law 's enactment spooks immigrants `` We expected the judge to rule like the other judges who blocked the laws in Arizona and Georgia , '' Vazquez says , referring to similar anti-illegal immigration laws approved in those states , with federal judges subsequently blocking the more severe parts of those bills . `` Now , they can take me away from my children anytime , '' Vazquez says . Her journey began five years ago when she and her husband left the Mexican state of MIchoacan and headed north in search of jobs . `` In Mexico , it is hard to find a job . I 'm 35 years old , and the ads seeking help say they want people between the ages of 18 and 35 , '' Vazquez says . `` It was n't easy coming over . We left our parents , our siblings , our family , and they did n't know what was going to happen to us . '' The couple entered the United States illegally and headed for Montgomery , where they had relatives . They first rented a room in
Montgomery , Alabama -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gabriela Vazquez maneuvers through piles of clothes and toys while trying to control her two small children . `` They never stop , '' she says , while pulling a pair of pants from an almost-empty drawer and deciding whether to toss the pants to the `` keep '' or `` leave '' pile . The decision is not an easy one . Vazquez is attempting to pack five years of her life in the United States into only a handful of bags . `` I crossed over into the U.S. with nothing but my clothes , so I 'm taking nothing , only my clothes and my kids , '' she says . Vazquez began packing moments after a federal judge in Birmingham , Alabama , last week allowed most of the state 's controversial law , known as HB56 , against illegal immigration to go into effect . Judge refuses to block law during appeal The law allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists , detain them and turn them over to federal authorities . It is described by both its supporters and its opponents