Thread: S.C.: Immigration reform

Immigration reform
Thursday, February 14, 2008



The Legislature's illegal immigration reform package cleared its second major hurdle Wednesday when the Senate passed its version. Here's a look at what the Senate plan includes:

--Expands worker verification requirement to private employers. The House bill put requirements in place for only government agencies and public contractors.

--Allows any U.S. resident replaced by an illegal worker to sue the employer if the employer knew an illegal immigrant was involved.

--Authorizes the State Law Enforcement Division to negotiate the ability to enforce federal immigration laws.

--Requires jails to verify immigration status for certain prisoners and directs the state to bill federal government for detention and other costs.

--Requires state agencies to verify immigration status for anyone seeking public benefits, although children are excepted. Humanitarian work done by church groups or nonprofit agencies is also excluded.

--Makes harboring or transporting illegal immigrants a felony.

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb ... form30633/

Senate finishes immigration bill debate
By Yvonne Wenger (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Thursday, February 14, 2008



COLUMBIA — The Senate finished its work on immigration reform legislation late Wednesday but left in what many are calling a giant loophole.

The nearly 30-page bill extends worker verification standards to private businesses, asks the federal government for authority to enforce immigration laws and requires jails to verify the nationality of prisoners, among a long list of provisions.

What the bill does not do is stop employers from using federal verification standards that Sens. Chip Campsen and Glenn McConnell argued perpetuates the broken system. The Senate ultimately voted 39-0 for the bill, which allows businesses to use the federal I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form.

"If you leave an I-9 in here, you're building upon that false foundation," said Campsen, R-Isle of Palms. "People for a while might think you really did something tough on immigration, that you really addressed the issue, but eventually they'll understand."

Campsen and McConnell, R-Charleston, had offered a proposal to require businesses to use only driver's licenses and identification cards issued by South Carolina and other select states. If a potential employer did not have either, employers would have been required to check the validity of Social Security numbers through a federal database run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, E-Verify.

The federal government fails to check whether the Social Security numbers and names provided for I-9 forms are valid, which allows businesses to continue hiring illegal immigrants, Campsen said. His and McConnell's proposals failed to get support, but no recorded votes were taken.

At one point, McConnell had also suggested the state create a special form to strengthen enforcement, but other senators said it was too burdensome for the business community.

"Lord, have mercy," Minority Leader John Land of Manning said. "You're going to put this burden on every honest businessman in South Carolina, and the crooked ones out there are probably not going to file this thing."

The real problem was political pressure from special-interest groups, McConnell and Campsen said. Still, the two said the Senate improved on the reform bill as passed by the House in late January. The next stop for the bill is a conference committee, provided the House insists on its version, which is expected. Conference is where the legislators will reach final accord.

Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Goose Creek, said the community would feel the situation ease over time once the legislation becomes law. He said the Senate bill reflects a hard-fought compromise.

One of the biggest challenges throughout the process was trying to understand where the state could act and what the limitations were, McConnell said.

"Propaganda pumps" were working overtime, McConnell said, telling the public the state can do more to address illegal immigration than is within its power. The Legislature has to be careful not to open the state up to lawsuits on discrimination and other grounds.

"All you're going to do is make a group of lawyers rich," McConnell said. "To the public, you need to understand our hands are tied. This issue ultimately has got to be solved in Washington, D.C.

"The people saying the General Assembly can solve this problem are not telling them the truth. There are limits to what we can and can't do."

Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, said the state should have waited for the federal government to act.

"Right now, I am not convinced that we have the constitutional powers to do something about it," Ford said. "I think we are just spinning our wheels."

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