A new bill that would add two new processes to immigration enforcement
received final approval by the state’s legislative body. The bill would
require all of South Carolina’s police officers to check the immigration
status of their suspects and all South Carolina businesses to check the
immigration status of new hires through the E-Verify online employment
eligibility verification system. The state’s House approved the bill
Tuesday in a 69-43 vote. The bill has now been sent to Governor Nikki
Haley; her sources state that she will sign the bill.
“If Washington refuses to effectively support our law enforcement
officers by enforcing immigration laws, it is left up to the states to
stand up and do what is right,” said State Senator Bobby Harrell (R.,
Charleston). “That is exactly what South Carolina did today by making
sure our officers have the enforcement tools they need during this time
of federal indecision.”
This new bill expands on already existing legislation which, at the
time, was considered one of the country’s toughest immigration laws. The
original bill required all police officers to contact federal
immigration officials if they suspected someone was in the U.S.
illegally.
