Thread: SC House approves illegal immigration bill

SEANNA ADCOX, Associated Press

Updated 07:12 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House has approved a bill requiring law enforcement to try to check the status of people they suspect are in the country illegally.

The House voted 69-43 on Tuesday for the key second reading. The measure requires another perfunctory vote before returning to the Senate, which passed a different version.

Republicans who control both the House and Senate have called the bill a top priority for the year.

The bill specifies that the check must follow a stop or arrest for something else. Unlike a law passed in Arizona last year, it says people can't be held on the suspicion. Instead, they must be processed normally if authorities don't respond.

Opponents argued it flies in the face of American freedoms and encourages racial profiling.


Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ ... z1NJiTvgXt

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Opponents argued it flies in the face of American freedoms and encourages racial profiling.

"Opponents argued!" Well get ready to start screaming! Cause Americans want you to "Go Home!"

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Opponents argued it flies in the face of American freedoms and encourages racial profiling.

"Opponents argued!" Well get ready to start screaming! Cause Americans want you to "Go Home!"

Amen Steve, amen!

The article at the source link above has been updated to the following.


SC House approves illegal immigration bill

SEANNA ADCOX, Associated Press

Updated 08:18 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, 2011



COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House approved a bill Tuesday requiring law enforcement to try to check the status of people they suspect are in the country illegally.

The House voted 69-43 to give the key second reading. The measure requires another perfunctory vote before returning to the Senate, which passed a different version.

Republicans who control both the House and Senate have called the bill a top priority for the year.

"It has become abundantly clear that if we want something done about illegal immigration, we're going to have to do it ourselves," said House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. "If the federal government refuses to enforce these laws, the South Carolina General Assembly will support state laws that do — and over the past several years, that is exactly what your state lawmakers have done."

The bill specifies that the check must follow a stop or arrest for something else. Someone with a valid driver's license, military ID or passport would be presumed a legal resident.

Unlike a law passed in Arizona last year, the South Carolina proposal says people can't be held on the suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.

Opponents argued it flies in the face of American freedoms.

Though the proposal specifies that suspicion can't be based on race, color or national origin, opponents contend that clause is meaningless. They argue the undefined "reasonable suspicion" clause will lead to abuse, turning the innocent-until-proven-guilty protection on its head and inviting lawsuits.

"There's no way this bill works without racial profiling," said Rep. David Mack, D-North Charleston. "This is not needed. I believe it's racist, it's mean and it's punitive."

The measure would also make it a felony to make fake photo IDs for illegal immigrants, and it creates a new law enforcement unit within the Department of Public Safety to enforce the state's immigration law. The Senate put $1.3 million toward that unit in its proposed budget for 2011-12, which it passed Tuesday and returned to the House.

Opponents said it will also cost local governments.

Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Denmark, mocked Republicans by suggesting the bill require a fence — at least 15 feet high — along the state's borders that could be painted red, white and blue. Legislators quickly shot down his proposed amendment.

The measure would also toughen a measure passed in 2008 that put the onus on businesses to check their employees' legal status. That law, considered one of the toughest in the nation when passed, began applying to businesses of all sizes last year.

The latest measure would let the state's labor agency fine businesses up to $50,000 for repeatedly violating the law and refusing to comply with a temporary shut-down order.

Roan Garcia-Quintana, who heads an organization called Americans Have Had Enough, said the measure is about jobs in a state struggling for years with high unemployment. He said it's important to target the businesses that hire illegal workers.

"Maybe some jobs will open up. They will self-deport if we make it so they're not welcome and target employers. It's all about greed and selfishness," he said of businesses.

The Cuban native immigrated to America in 1961, at age 10, as a political refugee. He said he resents any comparisons to the civil rights movement.

"Civil rights was about American citizens. This is not about American citizens or legal immigrants," he said.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6313--0-0.html

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Opponents argued it flies in the face of American freedoms and encourages racial profiling.

"Opponents argued!" Well get ready to start screaming! Cause Americans want you to "Go Home!"

I can never understand how they can scream racism, when much like the US Latin America is a blend of brown, white, and black. Hispanic is not really a specific race, they are a variety of different cultures.

Well anyway, I'm pretty sure that SC had to get on the stick because they got word of the illegals coming their way due to the new Georgia bill.

Well anyway, I'm pretty sure that SC had to get on the stick because they got word of the illegals coming their way due to the new Georgia bill.

Let's hope this spreads like wild fire to all the states.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/imm ... 05_26_PLA_[P11245356]&rrid=306997752

[quote]Immigration Measure Approved By South Carolina House
May 26, 2011 by Personal Liberty News Desk
South Carolina’s House of Representatives has approved a bill that would allow law enforcement officials to check an individual’s immigration status during routine traffic stops.

According to The Post and Courier, the chamber passed the measure 69-43 on May 24. The State Senate approved the Arizona-style immigration legislation last March, and Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican, is expected to sign it into law.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that approximately 30 States have considered stricter policies against illegal immigration, most of which center around law enforcement and employment verification. In 2008, South Carolina adopted a law that requires businesses to verify that their staff members are legal citizens.

State Representative Chris Murphy (R-Summerville) said that tougher immigration policies make “good financial senseâ€

There we go we take it one step at a time,now its one state at a time.We are winning.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!!

Well, if they are in trouble with the law for something else, this is the only reason it would lead to people knowing their status in the country through checking their papers-so how is this connected to ethnic profiling? And if I and every other American citizen of every ethnic background must show our ID every time we do things like go to the bank and renew certain licenses, what makes these people so special that they feel they are too good to do the same if they are asked?