State lawmakers are considering a bill, that if passed, could make South Carolina rival Arizona in immigration reform.
A South Carolina House panel is scheduled to debate immigration reform this morning at the statehouse on a bill the Senate passed last month.
The bill would require law enforcement officers to try and check a person's immigration status after they're stopped or arrested for another offense.
The bill says someone with a valid driver's license, military ID or passport would be presumed a legal resident. If officers suspect someone is in the country illegally, they would have to call Immigrations and Custom Enforcement. However, a person could not be held on that suspicion.
The measure would also make it a felony to sell or produce fake IDs for illegal immigrants. It would tack a fee onto non-business, out-of-country wire transfers. And it creates a new unit to enforce illegal immigration law.
In October, 2010 the South Carolina town of Summerville approved an ordinance to require businesses to determine the immigration status of employees. The law states that businesses could lose their licence of face fines for violations.
(AP) contributed to this story
