SC Senators split on immigration, amnesty for illegal residents

June 27, 2007
WASHINGTON — A split between South Carolina’s U.S. senators on immigration can be boiled down to a single word: amnesty.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says the bill doesn’t give amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the country; Sen. Jim DeMint says it does.

Nearly given up for dead two weeks ago, the bill is on the Senate’s schedule again, including a cloture debate on Tuesday.

Both Republican senators say the country’s current immigration system is broken, but they differ on how to fix it. Sen. Graham says it’s too far gone to save, but Sen. DeMint says current laws just need to be enforced.

Both also say border security needs to be improved. Sen. DeMint again says current law needs to be enforced – for example, the nearly 800-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border approved by Congress last year is not finished. Sne. Graham wants to give an addition $4.4 billion to help border security and other changes, like creating an employment verification system.

To Sen. DeMint, new laws will convolute things. He said if laws are enforced, the system will slowly fix itself, with legal residents taking over jobs illegal immigrants now fill. To Sen. Graham, it’s essential to pass an immigration bill because if nothing happens, the number of illegal immigrants in the country will only continue to grow.

“Right now, the system is broken beyond repair,â€