Island Packet: Lawmakers get earful on immigration
Filed Under Ceips, Caucus, Top News, Ceips, Ritchie
Two state senators told Hilton Head Island residents Thursday that the South Carolina legislature is poised to pass a far-reaching illegal immigration bill by February.
Sens. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, and Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, fielded questions from more than 100 residents who turned out for the mid-morning meeting and who mostly supported the idea of statewide action to halt illegal immigration.
Ritchie and Ceips spent about 20 minutes promoting the legislative effort before turning things over to the crowd, which voiced strong opinions and delivered spirited speeches onillegal immigration.
“The reason we have this problem is employers are making billions,” by using cheaper illegal immigrant labor, said Richard Dolan. “Let’s call a spade a spade. This is all about money.”
The bill Ritchie and Ceips touted aims to make South Carolina a less attractive place for illegal immigrants to work and live.
In its current form, the bill says that:
•For a business to claim tax deductions on its workers’ pay, it would have to have copies of a driver’s license or state ID card as well as a second form of picture ID.
•State and local agencies would have to verify the legal status of any person seeking public assistance.
•Businesses that fire legal workers for the specific purpose of hiring illegal immigrants could be held liable for damages under state law.
• State and local agencies could contract only with businesses that employ legal workers.
At the local level, Beaufort County’s program to discourage businesses from hiring illegal immigrants goes into effect Jan. 1. Employers will be required to keep copies of I-9 forms, which have workers’ names and Social Security numbers.
Then, a county business licensing director would ensure that businesses have properly filled-out I-9 forms for all its employees or risk losing their licenses.
Paul McGovern, who owns McTrim Inc., an island carpentry business, said a booming illegal immigrant labor force has made it hard for him to run his business.
McGovern said in 2001 he was making $600,000 and had nine employees, but by 2005 he brought in only $175,000 while employing one to two workers.
He said competing with companies who pay illegal immigrants $10-an-hour forces employers to choose between providing benefits and health care and getting laborers.
“I believe everybody should have health care, but when it puts me at a tremendous disadvantage, it’s hard.”
Lawmakers get earful on immigration
Published Fri, Dec 14, 2007 12:00 AM
By MICHAEL WELLES SHAPIRO
mshapiro@islandpacket.com
843-706-8142
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Being a citizen in South Carolina, I do not see how we can make South Carolina look “less attractive” to illegal immigrants. In my prespective, the immigrant comes here because of the resources and conditions for the work force. Which means in order to keep them away in the first place you have to shape up our education and work-force. Which are two of the state’s main concerns in the first place. Call me pressimisic, but this bill, like many others will not solve the source of the problem. My confidence is pretty high, sense I have lived here for almost 10 years, and listend to the public at that. In order to get rid of a subject, you must think like that subject.