Thread: S.C. - Ordinance on illegals faces group opposition

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/ ... 2370c.html

Ordinance on illegals faces group opposition
BY TIM DONNELLY, The Island Packet
Published Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Community and business leaders are beginning to organize opposition to Beaufort County's proposed illegal-immigration ordinance, with plans for several appearances before county officials to protest a measure they say could become a burden for business owners.

A group of about seven businesses representing the construction, landscaping, food and beverage, real estate and other industries have been meeting with other supporters over the past week and a half to oppose the ordinance, which is scheduled for discussion Wednesday before the

county Community Services and Public Safety Committee. The business group is represented by Melissa Azallion, a Hilton Head immigration and labor attorney.

Azallion said the group does not support illegal immigration. But it believes the draft ordinance might supersede federal immigration authorities by giving the county's business-license office the power to enforce immigration laws, she said. It also could place a heavy burden on business owners and strain county resources, she said.

"We think that there are a lot of uncertainties in trying to implement and comply with the ordinance," she said. "The issue of illegal immigration is not anything that we've even considered."

The actions of the group represent the first organized opposition to the county's effort to rein in the perceived illegal-immigration problem. Until now, it has been mostly cheered by residents who have long complained that illegal immigration has gotten out of hand in Beaufort County, but little has been heard from the business or Hispanic communities.

The Latin America Council of South Carolina, the area's largest Hispanic assistance and advocacy group, also has been fomenting opposition to parts of the proposed ordinance, sending letters to County Council members and Chairman Weston Newton, said the Latin American Council's executive director, Luis Bell.

The Latin American Council is holding an informational meeting Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Ebenezer Church in Bluffton. It has been advertising the event with Spanish-language ads in local publications with the goal of engaging the Hispanic community in the debate, Bell said.

"We would like to call their attention to some things that they haven't (thought of) before, and we would like them to know that there (are) very (many) things, economical and from the community point of view, that are going to be at stake if such a proposal is passed," he said.

The county first considered the ordinance in early October when Councilwoman Starletta Hairston introduced a proposal borrowed from the City Council in Hazleton, Pa. A U.S. District judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking that ordinance from going into effect.

Under the proposal, businesses that employ illegal immigrants could have their county business licenses revoked. The latest draft, to be discussed Wednesday, requires business owners to sign an affidavit saying they do not knowingly employ illegal immigrants. They're also encouraged to enroll in the federal government's free Basic Pilot Program that allows employers to verify employees' legal status.

Then comes the part that has some business owners worried: Anyone can file a complaint against a business suspected of employing illegal immigrants. The county says it will only consider it a valid complaint if it is signed by the person who files it. The county will not investigate complaints that allege a business is employing illegal immigrants just because it employs minorities, the ordinance says. Businesses would have 15 days to produce documents proving their workers are legal.

Azallion said businesses are concerned that would open the floodgates to complaints and would overload both the county and business owners with time-consuming verification.

But Hairston said the ordinance is only reinforcing what the federal government requires of businesses and that it will help to even the playing field for businesses that have been losing out to competitors that employ cheap illegal labor.

"I think our taxpaying citizens should expect we only give lawful people or citizens a business license here," she said. "They're not going to do this if we keep doing what we're doing, putting our head in the sand (while) the problem is just growing larger and larger."

But Hairston said the ordinance is only reinforcing what the federal government requires of businesses and that it will help to even the playing field for businesses that have been losing out to competitors that employ cheap illegal labor.

"I think our taxpaying citizens should expect we only give lawful people or citizens a business license here," she said. "They're not going to do this if we keep doing what we're doing, putting our head in the sand (while) the problem is just growing larger and larger."

FINALLY! An American who's thinking about the welfare of fellow Americans! What a breath of fresh air.

/

They should take note of all those businesses opposing it because they are the ones employing them.