http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPag ... 11/25/2006

Dorchester to consider immigrant bill



By DAVE MUNDAY
The Post and Courier


Dorchester County is joining the ranks of governments trying to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Council gave initial approval this week to an ordinance that would require those getting a business license to sign a paper vowing that they won't hire or use the services of any "unauthorized alien."

The federal government already requires employers to check immigration papers, but a lot of citizens suspect that many employers don't take the requirement very seriously, said Councilman Larry Hargett, who chairs the committee that will study the ordinance.

"I think this is something that's needed" he said. "We've had quite a few complaints. It's a growing problem."

Councilman Richard Rosebrock introduced the ordinance.

"The cost of illegal immigrants to American taxpayers is enormous," he said. "Our people need to obey the laws, and if you come here illegally, you're not participating in the American way. We ought to at least insist they come in here legally."

Dorchester County would also revoke the business license of anybody found to employ undocumented workers.

"This is going to put the burden on the employer to really check," Hargett said.

The details of how to enforce the ordinance have not been worked out.

"We'll probably have trouble enforcing it," Rosebrock said. "It's trying to send a message as much as anything else."

Beaufort County Council is set to give a similar ordinance final approval on Monday. Several business groups sent a letter saying the ordinance is too vague, unenforceable and unconstitutional, the Hilton Head Island Packet reported earlier this week.

Beaufort County Administrator Gary Kubic wrote a memo to council members saying he would need to spend $840,000 to hire 24 full-time employees to audit the county's 5,000 licensed businesses, the Hilton Head newspaper reported.

Hilton Head considered a similar ordinance last year but dropped it after attorneys advised that the city has no authority to enforce immigration policies, Municipal Association of South Carolina Executive Director Howard Duvall said.

Willie Davis, who represents the St. George area, was the only Dorchester County councilman who voted against the ordinance.

"I think that's something that should be left to the federal government," Davis said. "This could open us up to lawsuits."

Phillip Ford, executive vice president of the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association, questioned the need for such an ordinance.

Almost half of the Mexicans who move to South Carolina work in the construction industry, according to a study published this month by the University of South Carolina's Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies.

"We don't condone members hiring illegal aliens," Ford said. "The federal government requires paperwork already. I'm not sure how enforceable this is. It sounds mostly political. The only way we're really going to solve the illegal alien problem is for the federal government to decide what they want to do."

Hazleton, Pa., passed an even tougher ordinance last July, but a lawsuit in October put it on hold. The town's ordinance would not only revoke the business license of anybody who hired undocumented workers, it would fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal alien they rent to. A coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the city.

The Dorchester County ordinance will go to council's public safety, health and human services committee for study. Council's next meeting is Dec. 11 in St. George.