Thread: S.C.: Experts: Illegal workers leaving

January 2, 2009


Experts: Illegal workers leaving

Numbers drop as economy slows, state starts to roll out tough verification law

By Ben Szobody
STAFF WRITER

A new law to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants may have triggered an exodus before it went into limited effect this week, though state enforcement doesn't begin for another six months and the agency charged with oversight doesn't yet have funding to do it.

State Sen. David Thomas said the law, touted last summer as one of the country's toughest, likely won't be able to control who works for businesses such as a small-shingle contractor or a four-man landscape operation.

He said immigration experts tell him they have already seen illegal residents leaving the state.

That's probably due as much to the evaporation of construction jobs as to the new law, though there are no hard numbers, said Dr. Doug Woodward, an economics professor who has studied the immigration issue at the University of South Carolina.

Meanwhile, the prospect of federal economic stimulus funding for ready-to-go state infrastructure work could soon create a pocket of job growth in the road-and-bridge industry -- and a dilemma for employers, Woodward said.

"It'll be interesting to see who among our native workers here can pick up the shovel," he said. "These are supposed to be shovel-ready projects, but the people with the shovels in their hands seem to have been Latinos. So I'm not sure if we have a shovel-ready labor force."

Beginning this week, the law requires public agencies and contractors doing business with the government to use the E-Verify federal database to verify employees.

The law also bans the deduction of business expenses for illegal workers.

Private companies employing illegal immigrants could be shut down.

Parts of the law already in effect require state officials to verify the legal status of any adult applying for state or local benefits. Illegal immigrants are already banned from public colleges and college aid. Now it's a felony to shelter, harbor or transport an illegal immigrant.

Businesses that employ more than 100 workers will be responsible for verifying workers' legal status starting July 1, while those with fewer than 100 workers will begin in the summer of 2010, said Jim Knight, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

The department will investigate complaints that are in writing and have been signed, he said, and is in the process of deciding how to conduct random employment audits.

The Legislature hasn't appropriated funds for the program's administration, Knight said, but legislators say they will address that issue in the session that begins next month.

Meanwhile, budget cuts continue to deepen for state agencies as the sour economy cuts revenue.

Thomas said the agency could fund its operations from fines, which would give staff members an incentive to find violations. Enforcement "will operate as much off tips as anything else," he said, adding the burden is on businesses to check workers' legal status.

He said he expects most businesses to decide employing illegal residents isn't worth it.

Ben Haskew, president of the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, said any new regulation makes it harder for businesses to compete, but he respects the change and hopes all businesses can comply with the law.

John DeWorken, a Chamber vice president, said smaller businesses in particular are learning how to use the federal E-Verify system, but that feedback has been mostly positive.

Though it is impossible to determine how many illegal residents have left the state, Woodward said he expects the figure is in the thousands, partly because word has spread about the new law and partly because construction jobs have dried up at such a rapid clip.

"This was the land of milk and honey, not the land of financial and economic crises -- that's where they came from," Woodward said. "It's probably somewhat of a shock that America is not providing job opportunities."

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"It'll be interesting to see who among our native workers here can pick up the shovel," he said. "These are supposed to be shovel-ready projects, but the people with the shovels in their hands seem to have been Latinos. So I'm not sure if we have a shovel-ready labor force."


Another Scholar that does not get it ! ! ! We have the labor force that can and will do the job if the wages are fair. Look at a High profile Electrical company in the north west that will not mandate E-verify for Veg management programs I believe because of the cost savings using Illegal Aliens..

I had to laugh when I read this article. These so-called experts are the same ones that encouraged all the illegals to come here in the first place and are the very last 'experts' that a responsible reporter should be quoting, especially from the reviled SC Chamber of Commerce. An organization that has aided and abetted the flood of illegals into South Carolina to begin with.

Thousands of them have left the state and I have seen it on a first hand basis in the construction industry. The jobs have almost completely dried up here and they have gone on to other states that have lax illegal immigration laws such as Louisiana and Texas. But let a road and bridge construction plan come into existence here and they will be back because the same idiots will be in charge. Columbia has the same mayor and police chief as before. Our current mayor was quoted in 2006 as reaching out to the Hispanic community to let them know that government subsidized housing was available to them. Richland County has the same sheriff, Leon Lott, the law enforcement professional infamous for saying in 2006 that most of the Hispanics in Columbia were here legally. With these incompetent professionals still in charge would anyone like to take a guess as to how our new laws will be enforced?

We have the labor force that can and will do the job if the wages are fair.

Yes, including all of the welfare people who whine that they make more money drawing welfare, than they could by working.

It seems a large portion of the illegals are leaving South Carolina and heading into my home state of New York because illegals are welcomed and live off the fat of the land. Meanwhile, the legal citizens in New York are losing jobs and homes. The quality of life, safety and the pursuit of happiness has been ripped out of New Yorkers hands and given to the illegals.

I am very pleased whenever I hear that illegals are leaving any states in our country, I do, however, wish, that the politicians from this state were not so dirty and actually enforced immigration laws in the same way that other states, like South Carolina seem to have been putting into effect. It works, illegals will leave if the have no incentive!