On Wednesday June 4th, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina signed a new legislation that fines business owners that hire illegal immigrants up to 1,000 dollars and temporarily suspend their business. The idea is to force small business owners to hire legal workers instead. The state’s current unemployment rate is at 5.9% as of April 2008. Lawmakers predicted/hope that this law would force illegal immigrants to leave the state, and therefore make more jobs available.
Hispanic groups have talked to Gov. Sanford and urge him to reconsider this law. They argue that the average citizen isn’t willing to work on the field at high degree weather. That it’s unethical for hardworking immigrant families and for small business owners that shape their businesses on labor.
Other states that have passed similar laws include Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Arizona having the highest illegal immigrant population out of the five has recently been trying to introduce a bill to establish a guest worker program that would allow illegal immigrants to work, well…legally. For those that haven’t heard the news yet. Arizona passed a bill similar to SC’s bill that forced the illegal population out of the state. The bill did not help Arizona at all; instead the state lost billions of dollars and now they’re working on a guest worker program that would bring the workers back.
I was hoping that what has happened to Arizona would make other state reconsider passing any sort of anti-immigrant legislation. It seems that South Carolina doesn’t get the point, but you never know, maybe fifth time’s the charm.
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2 comments:
Unfortunately these laws are being passed by people who don't think - people that have to learn the hard way.
Of course, the terrible thing about their learning the hard way is so many suffer in the process.
Immigrants can pay taxes using an IITN which is provided by the IRS or by using their own valid social security number (which many have if they were at one point in status).
The IRS expects everyone who works in the country to pay their taxes. They leave the immigration enforcement to USCIS and make it a point to not look into immigration status of tax payers. They want people to feel safe paying their taxes otherwise people would find ways to avoid it if they thought paying them would lead to their deportation.
I don't know about you but if you're working in the US, you should be paying taxes and I'm glad the IRS is keeping an eye on our bottom line and not letting politics get in the way.
Despite what you think, I only support immigrants that come here looking for a better life, not ones that come here to mooch off the system. Knowing them personally, I can tell you the majority come here to work and to make a better life for themselves. They aren't looking for handouts.
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