COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina bill that would require officers to check suspects' immigration status is steps away from becoming law as the regular session draws to a close.
The state Senate is expected Wednesday to discuss making minor amendments to what the House passed last week. A Senate panel also hopes to hear from the director of the state's labor agency before the full Senate votes.
The proposal specifies that the check must follow a stop or arrest for something else. Someone with a valid driver's license, military ID or passport would be presumed a legal resident. Unlike a law passed in Arizona last year, South Carolina's law would forbid holding someone on the suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.
Opponents say it will encourage racial profiling and invite lawsuits.
