SC Town Fights Own Immigration Battle
Arizona is not alone in its fight for immigration reform. Many localities are stepping in where they feel the federal government is failing. One such town, Summerville, S.C., has just tentatively passed an ordinance that bans illegal immigrants from working and living there, FOXNews.com reported Saturday.
Walter Bailey, the town council member who proposed the ordinance, told Fox News the town needs to "send the message to Washington on immigration reform... The federal government that should be regulating immigration at our borders but has dropped the ball for whatever reason and somebody has to pick up the slack."
The ordinance won temporary approval earlier this week when the council voted 4-2 in favor of it. But an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) spokesperson said the ordinance violates housing laws and warned there are constitutionality issues with the ordinance. She warned the council during its hearing this week that a lawsuit is inevitable and other towns have spent a lot of money defending ordinances like this one.
Bailey, a former state prosecutor, said Summerville is ready for that and cannot see why this ordinance is getting so much attention.
"I am trying to figure out why it is controversial. At some point in our society, taking a strong stance against criminal behavior became controversial and it shouldn't be but we're prepared to do what we have to do to enforce it and if we have to, we will handle it when the time comes."
But there are those in Summerville who say they cannot afford this lawsuit. Councilman Aaron Brown was one of the two council members who voted against the proposal. He agrees the town cannot afford a lawsuit, but went even further, saying he voted against the proposal because it is bad for business. Brown insists people won't want to travel to Summerville, a town near the South Carolina coast, if it has something this controversial going on.
The ordinance is up for final approval next month.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpps/news...100814_9178470
Small Town Steps in because Feds Are "Failing on Immigration"
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