SC House Passes Controversial Immigration Bill

As previously reported on our blog, controversial immigration laws have been passed in Arizona, Georgia, Utah, and Indiana. On Tuesday, South Carolina became the fifth state whose House of Representatives agreed to a new parliamentary bill concerning illegal immigration. The lawmakers sent this new immigration bill to Governor Nikki R. Haley for her signature.

The South Carolina immigration bill requires business owners to verify an employee's immigration status through a federal electronic database known as E-verify. The new bill also requires law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of drivers they pull over or suspect of breaking the law. In addition, the new bill creates a new law enforcement unit within the Department of Public Safety to enforce state immigration laws.

The discussion about the bill is as controversial as in other states, like Arizona and Georgia, and the opponents already have announced their resistance against the bill. However, a spokesperson for South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley has already confirmed that the Governor will sign the bill into law.

More Immigration Law news and updates can be found on our firm’s website.

(c) Picture: South Carolina Legislature