Thread: SC:Advocate group urges Sanford to veto immigration bill

Advocate group urges Sanford to veto immigration bill
The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. --
Advocates for Hispanics in South Carolina asked Gov. Mark Sanford to veto legislation meant to clamp down on illegal immigration.

Diana Salazar, director of the Latino Association of Charleston, joined more than a dozen other advocates Tuesday in asking Sanford to reconsider his promise to sign the bill. Salazar said the bill is unfair and unnecessarily burdens small businesses.

The bill was given final approval last week after months of political wrangling between the House and Senate. It would require all employers to make sure their employees are in the country legally. It also would ban illegal immigrants from attending public colleges.

Salazar said the bill will hurt the state's tourism-dependent economy. [b]She said amnesty is needed for immigrants who have been here for years and just want to provide for their families.[b]

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/423014.html

Mark Sanford has been an excellent governor and I seriously doubt he will be swayed on this issue. I have contacted his office in the past concerning illegal immigration and I feel like he is on out side of the issue and will have no problem signing this into law.
Johnny

]She said amnesty is needed for immigrants who have been here for years and just want to provide for their families.

I don't share her views on this at all! The ones that have been here illegally for longer periods of time should be the ones that receive the harshest punishments. There is no law that excepts illegal aliens from deportation based on time present in country. Since when is eluding the law a reason for forgiveness.

This is my response to Ms Salazar's comments in another article. It also applies here because she is like a stuck record when it comes amnesty for her beloved illegal aliens. It is a good thing that the people of South Carolina are not as stupid as she seems to think.---------------



Ms. Salazar,

There are a few things that need to be brought up about your statements in this article. Their kids may be American citizens according to an outdated interpretation of the 14th Amendment ,but the primary responsibility for them falls to their parents because they elected to put them in the position they currently find themselves in. Just like every other parent in this state and country. This bill was passed because the people of this great state are fed up with our laws not being enforced. We have been invaded by a half million illegal aliens from other countries and all you want to do is be a mouthpiece for them.
The Statue of Liberty might hold a torch in her right hand, but in her left is a book, called the Book of Laws. That is what this country is based on, LAWS, and not a belief that there are certain groups of people that should not be held responsible for their actions. What you advocate is anarchy, pure and simple and the people are getting mad and responding in great numbers. You have lost the argument and you can present no logical answer other that to give them amnesty because some of their kids are American. Therefore, I have the answer for you. They take their kids with them and go back to their countries and when that child reaches the age of 18, he will be welcomed back into American society with open arms. Or they can leave them here, under the care of the American taxpayer. The choice is theirs.
This country belongs to the American people and not special interest groups trying to cram their agenda down our throats. On this bill the people of South Carolina spoke loud and clear.

Originally Posted by MW

]She said amnesty is needed for immigrants who have been here for years and just want to provide for their families.

I don't share her views on this at all! The ones that have been here illegally for longer periods of time should be the ones that receive the harshest punishments. There is no law that excepts illegal aliens from deportation based on time present in country. Since when is eluding the law a reason for forgiveness.

DITTO! and who can really prove how long they have been here.

greenvilleonline.com
June 3, 2008

Latino leader says law won't force illegals out of state

By Tim Smith
CAPITAL BUREAU

COLUMBIA - A South Carolina Latino leader said this afternoon that illegal immigrants in the state will not leave just because of a recently passed immigration reform law hailed by legislators as the toughest in the nation.

Diana Salazar, who heads the Latino Association of Charleston, held a press conference at the Statehouse today to ask Gov. Mark Sanford to veto the bill, which cleared the Legiuslature last week. Sanford has said he likes the legislation.

Salazar said the bill might reduce the number of illegal immigrants coming to the state but she doesn't believe it will reduce those now here.

"The undocumented that are already here aren't going to pack up and leave," she said. "This is a family state as far as the Latino community so they are not going to just pack up and leave."

She said she also doesn't think those in the state illegally will run scared and hide as a result of the new law.

The bill would require all employers to verify the legal status of new workers, beginning next summer for larger firms and the summer of 2010 for small businesses. Any company caught hiring illegal workers under the bill could have its right to operate in the state suspended or revoked. The bill also makes it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants or to falsify documents. Illegal residents would not be able to attend colleges or universities and workers would have the right to sue former employers if the employer fired them and replaced them with an illegal worker, under the bill.

Salazar said she thinks the bill, if signed into law by Sanford, will affect American children born to illegal immigrants and the state's economy, as well as encourage racists to harass Latinos.

"Some people are going to take this into their own hands," she said. "It's not just going to be immigration or the police department. There's a lot of racism here. There is going to be some uneasiness within the Latino community because we are going to be looked at like, 'You're not welcome here anymore, now we can do something about it.'"

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pb ... 013/NEWS05