Democrats plan to stall immigration bill

House Minority Leader Harry Ott said he will divert debate today on a controversial immigration bill, forcing lawmakers who say they are anxious to pass a bill this year to forestall discussion for at least a day.

Uneasy about new Senate-passed legislation on the issue, caucus members took sharp aim at the bill, which is expected to come up today in the House.

Approved last week in the Senate, the bill proposes requiring all private S.C. employers to use one of three forms of verification to confirm an employee's legal status to work in the Palmetto State.


The choices include the federal I-9 form, the federal E-verify system, or a yet-to-be-created new State-verify system.


"If you really want to track illegal workers in South Carolina, what better way than to put South Carolina in charge of it," said Ott, D-Orangeburg, noting that if the issue comes to a head in the House he would support the Senate-passed bill.

However, he said his preference would be to gut the Senate-passed bill and restore it to the original version of the House-passed bill, which died in a conference committee along with the Senate's original immigration bill.

The House's original bill only required employers who do business with the state to verify identification.

"They're using this bill to beat up on the Hispanic community," charged Rep. Fletcher Smith, D-Greenville, contending that House Republicans would use funds designated for mental health, health care and education to enact and enforce the legislation. Fletcher, along with many House members maintain that illegal immigration is a federal issue that should be addressed, and paid for, by the U.S. government.

Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, said the Senate-passed bill is an intrusion on private employers, and does nothing to identify illegal immigrants who may be "subversive", unless they apply for a job.

Comments

[Uli Ike]

I understand the issues for farmers & other business owners, but can't you make the illegals legal. It's hard to get good help and I suspect they are, but illegal is illegal.

[Lindsey G.]

that is what we tried to do with the Amnesty bill that me and all my democrat buddies supported. We tried to make them legal.

[Brittanicus]

It seems like South Carolina legal residents are being short-changed by the lawmakers, who make a living trying to hustle a controversial immigration bill through its final session. Doesn't seem strange that they leave this legislation till the last minute, almost guaranteeing it will full through or at least turn dormant. Perhaps it just looked good on paper and we all know that pariah business have very deep pockets. All political parties need access campaign contributions, and many ominous favors change hands behind close doors. The fact is parasite employers have no restrictions on their hires, they just want somebody who will work for less and no questions asked. Under the table specially, with no health care (taxpayers will pay for that?) No workers compensation, just a sub-standard wage. Illegal workers are not even cemented in to pay state or federal taxes. One of the biggest culprits is the farmer. Having to go through the hassle to get guest workers, as with applying to the Department of Labor. It is so much easier, to get and exploit illegal foreign nationals. If they hire subject guest workers under contract they must have transportation to pick up migrant workers, edible food and livable housing. They must also keep accurate records of wages and hours, which they do not like. hence they like to hire illegal cheap labor, that are not involved in the guest worker program.

The Real ID law is just one of many new legislation, placed on the books to separate illegal foreign nationals from legal immigrants and citizens. It is one of a conglomeration of new laws, including specific legislation to stop parasite businesses from exploiting cheap labor. These laws are working in Arizona, Georgia and Oklahoma, Rhode Island. Even these states have seen unemployment go down, as employers have no alternative to hire legal residence. As always their are a few states that are refusing to enact the Real ID, using that old adage, that it's just too expensive to implement. Then why doesn't the Federal government mandate funds for this bill, If they want this legislation to be active by the deadline, they need to allocate federal funding.

That gives Democrats no excuse to undermine its actual enforcement. Then states that have committed themselves will find their residents have unnecessary aggravation when trying to board a plane. When you think about it, that since 9/11 nothing has really been done to enforce safety at our borders or ports. Everything is still a loose latticework of assorted laws, that have been enacted throughout this nation. Comes now the Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) that if not perverted by leading Democrats, would not only add an all encompassing set of laws, but it would be mandatory for all business to check the authenticates of every hired worker. According to its premise, not too many illegal aliens would slip through the clutches of this legislation.

Powerful Democrats have intimidated lesser representatives, to not co-author this Bill. Right now it sits in limbo because it still needs a bipartisan effort to bring it to a vote. Anything that enforces our immigration laws, has been gutted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi's minions. Heath Shuler, a new Democrat had the nerve to draft this law and I am sure suffering from a backlash from the hierarchy. This is the time to push aside Democratic leadership's plan for rigged hearings, as well as their larger plan to grant legal work permits for millions of illegal aliens currently holding jobs and huge increases in H-2B and H-1B visas for all types of foreign workers. Very few Republicans have not signed on to the SAVE ACT, while the majority of lesser Democrats stay back in the shadows. Make a difference and tell your Democratic representative to sponsor the SAVE ACT! Next year will be too late...?

[madaboutpolitics]

These illegals DON'T NEED TO BE LEGAL! ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS A FELONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY NEED TO BE DEPORTED!!!! >:0