South Carolina moves with commendable speed on immigration The relatively easy passage of South Carolina's get-tough bill on illegal immigration in the House last week is expected to be followed fairly quickly by action in the Senate. Anyone who seriously questions whether a state law will have any real effect should read this quote from an "undocumented immigrant." A resident of Mexico said that if the state starts cracking down on businesses that hire such workers, the jobs would dry up. "Then I would have to immigrate somewhere else." That, of course, is one of the key objectives of the state legislation. No state immigration law will solve what is a national problem and federal responsibility. But advocates contend that the state has to take defensive action in view of crackdowns on illegal immigrants in other states. Clearly the House bill, which passed by a vote of 88-23, is aimed at getting employers' attention. Those who do business with local and state government agencies would have to verify the legal status of their employees through a federal work authorization program. Failure to do so could cost them 5 percent of their contracts. Legal residents fired from a job also would have the right to sue if their former employer knowingly retains illegal immigrants on the job. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a prime author of the legislation, believes that proviso would be a major incentive to employers to make sure their employees are here legally. The speaker also points to a provision that authorizes the State Law Enforcement Division to enter into a memorandum of understanding to enforce the federal law on illegal immigrants that could lead to deportations. The House bill also seeks to prevent illegal immigrants from taking advantage of non-emergency, publicly funded services and scholarships. The Senate already has gone on record as favoring state curbs on illegal immigrants. The House amended last year's Senate-passed bill with its own version, a move that is expected to lead to the speedy appointment of a conference committee to resolve the differences. It's not clear if the House will move as quickly on the Senate-passed call for a constitutional convention to force the federal government to deal with the estimated 12 million immigrants already in this country. Quick action on illegal immigration this session has been a common goal of the Legislature and the governor after the effort stalled last year. This time both the legislative and executive branches clearly are hearing the same public outcry. |