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  1. #1
    Senior Member lsmith1338's Avatar
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    Illegal immigration worker plan to move forward

    http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_ne ... 5119c.html

    Illegal immigration worker plan to move forward
    County Council to hold second reading Monday
    Published Thu, Nov 9, 2006
    By JEREMY HSIEH
    The Beaufort Gazette

    A Beaufort County Council committee Wednesday pushed ahead with a proposed ordinance to curb illegal immigration despite what the county attorney described as a "distinct possibility" of a legal challenge.

    After three hours of public comment, discussion and at times heated debate, the Community Services and Public Safety Committee voted 5-1 to bring the ordinance, now called the Lawful Employment Ordinance, before the full County Council on Monday for a public hearing and the second of three required readings.

    Unsolicited applause during debate from an uncharacteristically large and diverse audience Wednesday drew the developing battle lines between the two sides of the proposal.

    On one side are committee Chairman Bill McBride, Councilwoman Starletta Hairston, who proposed the ordinance, and residents fed up with illegal immigration's presumed drain on public services and the economy. They think the measure should move forward without delay.

    On the other side are council Chairman Weston Newton, Councilman Herbert Glaze, Councilman Mark Generales, Hispanic residents and businesses that rely on immigrant workers.

    At the meeting, they expressed a desire to slow the process and study its potential impact, then craft a stronger ordinance.

    Many Hispanic community members have matter-of-factly said that the ordinance would drive away illegal workers but impair the county's economy by depressing the labor market.

    County Attorney Kelly Golden, Newton and Generales said an economic impact study would be extremely difficult if not impossible to conduct because of problems identifying illegal immigrants.

    "We will need verifiable, factual information to substantiate our statement of purpose if we are challenged," Golden said.

    McBride, Hairston, Generales, Glaze and Margaret Griffin voted to send the measure to the full council. Newton voted against the move because he considered the proposal a work in process.

    Newton also offered a motion to authorize up to $10,000 for an independent legal analysis of the proposed ordinance's viability, which the committee unanimously approved.

    "I don't want to get a lawyer who's already picked sides," he said. "Why not wait? I just don't understand the rush."

    Several council members, including McBride and Hairston, said they want the ordinance to pass through final approval before the majority freshman council takes over in January.

    Golden, who wrote the ordinance based on a similar one adopted by the city of Hazleton, Pa., updated the committee on that city's ongoing litigation. Hazleton was sued and a judge blocked the ordinance pending a trial to resolve its legality. There are enough similarities between the two ordinances, Golden said, to expect legal challenges in Beaufort County.

    The ordinance would add a new section to the county's business licensing code, making the county's business license office a clearinghouse for complaints about illegally employed immigrant workers. The county would then verify the workers' legal status with the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service. If workers lack proper documentation, the county, under the proposal, would suspend the business' licenses until the illegal workers were fired.

    The license would be suspended until the county received written verification that the situation has been corrected. Repeat offenders would be subject to automatic 20-day license suspensions.

    The ordinance also encourages employers to enroll in the free federal Basic Pilot Program, which verifies Social Security numbers and checks an employee's status with the Department of Homeland Security. Businesses enrolled in the Basic Pilot Program would be immune from penalties if a violation arises with an individual who had already passed the program's scrutiny. Businesses must enroll in the program to be eligible for county grants and contracts of more than $10,000.

    The council has three council meetings left before the primarily freshman council takes over, though Newton said he would consider scheduling special council meetings before the year's end to complete work on the proposed ordinance.
    Freedom isn't free... Don't forget the men who died and gave that right to all of us....
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  2. #2
    Senior Member swatchick's Avatar
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    I like this. Its nice to see that businesses that get city contracts must prove they don't hire illegals. This is the way it should be.
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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