Illegal immigration papers criminalized by South Carolina lawmakers

SC to crackdown on illegal immigration papers

Illegal immigration is a growing bane of the United States and lawmakers there are moving to stem the tide of migrants working without proper documentation.

South Carolina is the latest state to clampdown on illegal immigration as its state Senate voted 34-9 to make the creation of fraudulent immigration documents.

In addition, not having an immigration card or presenting bogus identification will also be treated as a crime under the bill. All immigrants are also required to secure proper work permits.

"The state Senate took a bold step toward providing local law enforcement with the tools it needs to adequately respond to illegal immigration in South Carolina," said Republican Sen. Larry Martin.

Compared to similar measures in Arizona, Alabama and Georgia, the measure in South Carolina is not as rigorous, but proponents said it was a step in the right direction.

Under the measure to curb illegal immigration, a task force of local law enforcement agents and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be created.

Racial profiling issues will ne managed by requiring law enforcement officers to complete a form showing the race of people they ticketed or arrested. The measure says it "is clearly unlawful to stop or question someone about their identity unless there is a lawful reason to do so."

The state's House of Representatives will review the measure approved by the senators over the course of several weeks. If approved, then the measure would need to be signed by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Compared to other states, the provision on racial profiling is a distinct feature of South Carolina's measure to curb illegal immigration.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Friday March 11 2011, 8:34 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0