July 21, 2008


Pickens moves toward crackdown on illegal immigrants

By Julie Howle
STAFF WRITER

Companies that employ illegal immigrants would be banned from doing business with Pickens County under a proposal that took a step forward Monday night.

Pickens County Council voted 5-1 to approve the ordinance, leaving it one affirmative vote from becoming law.

The law would make English the county’s official language and require sheriff’s deputies to make a reasonable attempt to check the residency status of everyone booked into the Pickens County Detention Center.

Councilman Ben Trotter, who supports the law, said illegal aliens take millions of dollars out of the economy every year.

"Our welfare department is giving them food stamps, all the medical attention they need," Trotter said. "We have senior citizens that cannot get some of this help."

The sole dissenter, Councilman Jim London, said he would support a law that "reflects what’s happening at the state and federal level."

"I think what we want to do is be a little bit careful in terms of the tone of what we do," he said. "I still have a hang-up with the phrase in there that English is the official language."

If given final approval, the ordinance would require county vendors to certify that they "do not knowingly recruit, hire or employ" anyone who is an unauthorized alien and would require businesses to verify their employees’ status with a Web-based program.

Violators would be barred from doing business with the county for three years.

The ordinance would also require that county business be conducted in English, except in emergencies or to protect due process.

Assistant Sheriff Tim Morgan commended the action and said it’s a positive step. "If there’s not gainful employment, they’ll go elsewhere," he said.

The ordinance also says that agencies that receive county discretionary funding wouldn’t be able to knowingly employ or provide assistance to unauthorized aliens, except to protect civil liberties or provide emergency services. Violators couldn’t request county money for three years.

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