Immigration Measure

Summerville, S.C. Town Council has approved 5-1 an ordinance to require businesses to determine the immigration status of employees. Businesses like landscape contractors and landscape maintenance companies could lose their license or face fines for violations. However, Dorchester County has had the same requirements for businesses for three years and no company has been penalized. Council members said the town needed to take a stand because the federal government has not.

Getting an immigration status ordinance passed in Summerville, S.C. was no easy task, taking months of debate and revision. Councilman Bailey says he doesn't believe illegal immigrants have any business living or working in Summerville. ''If you are here illegally go somewhere else, work somewhere else, live somewhere else, you don't belong here,'' he said.

Bailey has repeatedly defended his stance, saying it is a cut and dry issue, if illegal immigrants live and work in the United States, they are breaking the law.

After the vote, Councilman Aaron Brown predicted the law will cost more jobs by hampering the town's future growth. ''I just don't see the need for a local ordinance,'' Brown said. ''Again I repeat as far as the business and commerce of this town will suffer, because I think businesses do not want to move into jurisdictions that have controversial laws and this is a controversial law.''