http://66.225.205.104/JR20110623a.mp3
A new immigration law awaiting the signature of South Carolina's governor could lead the state into a court battle like the one Arizona is waging. The law will also give state officials power to revoke the license of a business that hasn't verified the immigration status of all employees through a federal database called "E-Verify." South Carolina already passed an immigration law back in 2008 meant to crack down on employers hiring illegal immigrants. But there are some problems with that law that have left the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) unable to enforce it for several months. "We re-crafted the bill so that it is constitutional," says Catherine Templeton, director of LLR. "The other part that we needed was the Department of Homeland Security to give us the 'okay' to actually then enforce it." That "okay" came late last week and Governor Nikki Haley's spokesman says she will sign the bill. It's similar to Arizona's law which threatens businesses with license revocation, but not fines, if they hire illegal immigrants. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the law. All South Carolina businesses will be required to check the immigration status of their new hires by logging onto the website of a federal database called E-Verify. Civil rights advocates say the system is riddled with mistakes. "We've actually received calls from naturalized U.S. citizens whose information was not updated into the E-verify database that when they applied for jobs they weren't in the system anywhere," says Tammy Besherse, a staff attorney with the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. "So we've seen that happen with naturalized citizens who've done nothing wrong and have lost jobs." The SC Small Business Chamber and industries including construction and agriculture warn the law is impractical for the state's rural areas where internet access is limited. But Governor Haley made clear at a press conference several weeks ago that E-Verify is central to her tough stance on illegal immigration. "If you take E-Verify out, this is nothing more than fluff," said Haley. The new law will also have law enforcement officers checking the immigration status of people they detain for other crimes. A coalition of civil rights groups including the ACLU has challenged similar provisions in other states, saying they will lead to racial profiling and inhibit minorities from reporting crimes. The group says it will sue South Carolina too, if the bill is signed.