A bill that requires police in South Carolina to check suspects' immigration status and mandates that all businesses check their hires through a federal online system received final legislative approval June 21, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The bill expands on a 2008 South Carolina law which at the time was considered one of the nation's toughest crackdowns on illegal immigration.
Changes added last week by the Senate, meant to bring the state's 2008 law in line with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a separate Arizona law, were opposed by the state's small business chamber and tea party groups.
The amendment removed businesses' ability to use state drivers' licenses to check workers' citizenship, requiring all businesses to use the E-verify system.
Thte bill requires officers to call federal immigration officials if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. The question must follow an arrest or traffic stop for something else. The measure bars officers from holding someone solely on that suspicion.
The bill also makes it a felony for someone to make fake photo IDs for illegal residents—punishable by a $25,000 fine and five years in prison—and creates a new law enforcement unit within the Department of Public Safety to enforce state immigration laws.
Read more here.
Latest from Nursery Management
- Voting now open for the National Garden Bureau's 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners
- Sam Hoadley talks about Mt. Cuba Center's latest evaluation of Solidago sp. for the Mid-Atlantic region
- [WATCH] Betting big on Burro: Kawahara Nurseries' roadmap for scaling to a 12-robot fleet
- Weed Control Report
- New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association announces annual awards
- Star Roses and Plants announces restructure of woody ornamentals team
- New Michigan box tree moth alert available in English and Spanish
- The Growth Industry Episode 8: From NFL guard to expert gardener with Chuck Hutchison
