Sen. McConnell calls for US Constitutional Convention to stop Illegal Immigration
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By Yvonne Wenger (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Friday, October 5, 2007
McConnell: Deport illegal immigrants
COLUMBIA — Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell is calling for a national constitutional convention that would give states the right to deny benefits to illegal immigrants and have them forced out of the country.
It is an unprecedented move that would first require approval by the S.C. Legislature, then 33 other states would have to sign on, and 38 would be needed to approve a constitutional amendment.
“I don’t know where else to go,” McConnell, R-Charleston, said Thursday. “It’s really an act of frustration. The state is bearing the burden because of the power failure in Washington.
“The constitutional amendment would say that if Congress continues to refuse to act, then states would have the ability to act in order to protect themselves and their pocketbooks.”
Tensions have risen across the country following the introduction and failure of national proposals aimed at reforming illegal immigration. States have introduced about 1,500 bills this year intended to address the situation, including about 20 filed in South Carolina that didn’t pass.
A state Senate task force is studying immigration-reform measures, but the earliest the Legislature could act is January, unless lawmakers are called back under special circumstances.
Immigration advocates have frowned on states acting independently because of the complexity of the issue and the potential to violate constitutional rights.
Still, more than 170 bills did become law in other states, which serves as evidence of the frustration, said Sheri Steisel, a federal affairs counselor and senior director with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Steisel, who tracks immigration laws on a daily basis, said this is the only call for a constitutional convention that she knows of. The last constitutional convention was held in 1787 in Philadelphia, according to several officials.
It’s likely that other states would follow South Carolina if the Legislature passes McConnell’s resolution, said University of South Carolina political scientist Blease Graham.
“I think it’s path-breaking,” he said. “It’s a good illustration of the tension, hopefully the creative tension, between the national government and the states.”
Graham said there may be some detractors who would write off such a proposal as radical Southern politics, noting that South Carolina has been at the forefront of celebrated and infamous movements in the past.
“After the first dismissals, the idea might really resonate and take root,” Graham said. “I think this strikes a cord.”
State House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said he supports McConnell and believes the resolution will gain support in the House.
“All of us on a state level are trying to figure how to handle this issue basically with our hands tied,” Harrell said. “I think it will go through the General Assembly fairly quickly.”
Immigration issues hit home in South Carolina in part because of the unemployment rate, which is one of the highest in the country, Harrell said. Some of the jobs given to illegal immigrants could go to state workers, although in some cases employers would have to pay higher salaries, he said.
Jack Bass, a professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston who is familiar with South Carolina history and politics, said he believes the proposal is intended to invoke discussion more than anything else, especially given the difficulty in convening a constitutional convention.
While McConnell said he views illegal immigration as a danger to the country and a drain on South Carolina’s resources, Bass contends that most Spanish-speaking residents, whether legal or not, contribute significantly to the revenue base and provide a skilled workforce.
“For the state to intrude into the law enforcement role of the federal government seems a radical step in transforming the role of federalism in our country,” Bass said. “Senator McConnell’s proposal reflects a very creative mind.”
Calling a constitutional convention
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, issued a call Thursday for a national constitutional convention as a way for states to gain authority to enforce federal immigration laws.
The call for a constitutional convention, allowable under Article V of the Constitution, is rare. The last one to gain traction of any sort was about 20 years ago concerning a balanced budget.
McConnell will need to overcome several hurdles before the Constitution could be amended:
–The state Legislature must formally petition Congress to convene the convention.
–33 other states also would have to make the call.
–38 states would need to agree to approve an amendment.
Hearing on Illegal Immigration to start Monday
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South Carolina’s Republican Senators are starting to lead the fight on Illegal Immigration! Please see this article published in the GREENVILLE NEWS on Sunday, October 7th.
COLUMBIA-A year after a Senate study committee first asked the public to give it ideas on the subject of illegal immigration, the panel will do so again tonight in Greer.
Much has happened on the issue since the committee held its first hearings in Columbia in the fall of 2006. Congress debated but did not pass legislation on the issue. Hispanic groups held nationwide marches. South Carolina’s Senate passed a comprehensive reform bill, which remains parked in the House Judiciary Committee.
The failure of both Congress and the S.C. General Assembly to pass immigration reform has increased the support for the state’s legislators to do something next year, said Sen. Jim Ritchie of Spartanburg, who chairs the study committee.
“My feedback from the House members I talk to is that they are ready to give this issue first consideration and to pass this bill,” he said. “The state Chamber of Commerce and others have come to me and said, ‘We want to work with you. The federal government didn’t act and we’re ready to move forward with you.’”
The hearings, Ritchie said, are designed to get input from the public, explore what other states have done on the issue this year and to consider a proposal by Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell of Charleston to seek a national constitutional convention on illegal immigration.
The constitutional convention idea would have to be approved by the Legislature through a joint resolution, he said.
“I think it’s important that we have a national conversation about this,” he said. “And I think this is an innovative way to address a matter that Congress has clearly failed to adequately handle.”
The town of Clemson has hosted two recent meetings on the issue of illegal immigration, an effort to spur cities and counties to look at what they can do to attack the problem, said Clemson City Councilwoman Margaret Thompson.
The Illegal Immigration Reform Act, the legislation spawned by Ritchie’s committee, would require state and local agencies to verify the legal status of anyone seeking public benefits; require state and local governments to only contract with businesses that employ verified workers; prohibit businesses from claiming tax deductions for an employees’ pay if the employee is not a federally authorized worker and allow a fired worker to sue if the employer knowingly replaced the worker with an illegal immigrant.
The hearings will allow the public to tell the panel, which also includes Sen. Lewis Vaughn of Greer, what they think about the legislation in addition to what they think of the issue.
The Greer hearing will take place at 6 p.m. at the Greer Commission of Public Works at 301 McCall St. Additional hearings are scheduled for Oct. 23 in Charleston and Nov. 15 in Pendleton.
Ritchie said the hearings are a chance to reach people who couldn’t travel to Columbia last year but also a reflection of the interest of the public in the issue.
He said the panel might schedule more hearings, depending on the response to the next three.
SC Senators Target Immigration
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As published in the Greenville News, residents all over South Carolina will be able to voice their beliefs on immigration with public hearings being held all across South Carolina.
SC SENATORS TARGET IMMIGRATION
The Senate Illegal Immigration Reform Study Committee will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 in the meeting room at the Greer Commission of Public Works building, 301 McCall St.
Congratulations to Shane Massey on Primary Win
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From the Aiken Standard:
Massey tops Hixon in runoff election
By HALEY HUGHES
Staff writer
Shane Massey has won the Senate District 25 Republican runoff against Bill Hixon with roughly 62 percent of the vote.
He is now left to square off against state Rep. Bill Clyburn in the Nov. 6 general election for the seat.
Numbers showed Massey pulling ahead early, and ultimately he garnered the most votes in each of the four counties comprising District 25 — Aiken, Edgefield, McCormick and Saluda counties. In both McCormick and Saluda counties, Massey was easily the majority vote leader, pulling in more than double the number of votes as Hixon.
