Panel looks at curbing illegal immigration

HILTON HEAD ISLAND - State lawmakers began meeting last week to discuss proposals that they hope will give South Carolina some of the toughest laws against illegal immigration in the country.

With mounting disappointment at the stalled attempts at comprehensive immigration legislation at the federal level, state legislators said they are confident they will be able to introduce a bill in January with wide support in the Statehouse. The bill probably will mirror Georgia’s immigration legislation that Gov. Sonny Perdue signed last spring.

“We are increasingly frustrated by the inability of the federal government to enforce its laws,” said Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, chairman of the study committee appointed to recommend solutions. “The states are acting where they can. We have very limited power with issues of immigration.”

A survey released last year by the Pew Hispanic Center estimated South Carolina is home to between 20,000 and 35,000 illegal immigrants.

The committee held its first meeting Sept. 19, when it began looking at steps other states have taken to curb illegal immigration.

It heard testimony from various groups, including Homeland Security officials and advocates for tighter immigration laws, Ritchie said.

The Georgia law the committee is particularly interested in immediately drew national attention when Perdue signed it last year, making it one of the toughest such acts in the country, especially for a nonborder state. Most of the provisions go into effect next summer.

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Panel looks at curbing illegal immigration
The Sun News