islandpacket.com - The Island Packet Online

Search Everything in the Lowcountry and the Coastal Empire.

Immigration plan gets go-ahead again

Add Comment

BEAUFORT -- Opponents of a proposed illegal immigration ordinance warned the Beaufort County Council on Monday that the controversial measure is creating a hostile environment for Hispanics and urged the council to slow down the debate.

The council, meanwhile, voted 9-1 to approve the "lawful employment ordinance" on second reading. It also agreed to have a special meeting Dec. 27 to take a final vote, despite requests by two newly elected council members to delay the vote until after Jan. 2, when six new council members will be sworn in.

The ordinance, which was relaxed last week to address concerns about its constitutionality, allows the county to take away a company's business license if it employs illegal immigrants.

The public debate on the proposal shifted away from the substance of the ordinance Monday and instead turned to racial profiling. During a public hearing, opponents of the ordinance accused the council of targeting Hispanics.

When the council's Community Services and Public Safety Committee agreed last week to move the latest draft forward, it asked county administrator Gary Kubic to bring back statistics showing the community's health, safety and welfare is being harmed by the employment of illegal immigrants. He had two and a half business days to produce the information.

The resulting information showed that, this year, Beaufort Memorial Hospital expects to spend nearly $12 million on indigent care, the Beaufort County School District will spend $1.9 million on its English-as-a-second-language program and the Beaufort County Detention Center has booked 1,148 suspected illegal immigrants.

Local immigration attorney Melissa Azallion, who is representing several businesses opposing the measure, said those categories are too broad and don't specifically address the effect illegal immigrants have on the county. The council wanted the information in case the ordinance is challenged in court.

"I think the question remains, 'Do we have the empirical data to back up the ordinance?'<2009>" Azallion asked. "If not, then I see a huge legal challenge there."

Several Hispanic speakers said they've seen a change in the way they're being treated within the community since the council began discussing the ordinance two months ago. Chris Gomez said he and his wife recently received dirty looks for speaking to each other in Spanish while waiting in line at the movies.

Council Chairman Weston Newton responded to residents who have urged him to recuse himself from voting because his law firm represents the telecommunications industry. He said there's been "back room suggestion and gossip" that illegal immigrants use telephones more than legal residents do, so therefore, his firm is indirectly benefiting from undocumented residents.

Newton and Councilman Dick Stewart both voted against the ordinance last month, before an independent legal review analyzing its constitutionality. On Monday, Newton voted for the ordinance, saying the latest draft "is an extension of federal law" and oes not create a burden on employers of Beaufort County beyond which that is already required."

Stewart vehemently opposed the measure again Monday, speaking at length about discrimination throughout history. He doesn't believe the ordinance will fix the problem of employers "paying cash under the table" and that "the empirical data is lacking." He agreed that the ordinance is leading to racial tensions.

Supporters, on the other hand, say the ordinance will deter businesses from hiring illegal immigrants, thus making it easier for businesses who follow the rules to compete in the marketplace.

The new proposal no longer would require businesses to use a federal database to verify workers' legal status. The county would audit businesses to assure compliance, rather than investigate residents' complaints. The details of how that would work have not been determined.