Governor Sanford Thanks State GOP for E-Verify Support

GOVERNOR SAYS CONTINUED PUSH FROM PARTY,
OTHER GRASSROOTS NEEDED TO MAKE BILL STRONGER

Columbia, S.C. - May 5, 2008 - Governor Mark Sanford today thanked the state Republican Party’s Executive Committee for its support of the e-verify system, and said a continued push from the Party and other grassroots organizations is needed make sure we end up with a strong immigration bill.

“I’d give real credit to the Executive Committee for their stand on this issue, and for recognizing how important e-verify is to a strong immigration bill,” Gov. Sanford said. “I’d also urge everyone who cares about immigration reform to go one step further in calling their Senators and House members to let them know that offering an alternative to e-verify like a state version of the I-9 simply guarantees that e-verify won’t be used.  It’s very telling that some of the most ardent opponents of strong immigration reform favor the Senate compromise, but we continue to have reason to believe the House is committed to passing a bill that takes the issue of employment verification seriously.”

House leaders have said they’re committed to including the e-verify requirement in their bill, a critical component of the legislation that would require private employers to check a valid South Carolina driver’s license or use the online e-verify system to validate legal status. Five states already use e-verify in some capacity, including Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, and neighboring Georgia.  In fact, Arizona has reported that illegal immigrants are starting to self-deport due to the effectiveness of the e-verify system.

Instead, the Senate bill now includes a provision for “SC Verify,” which is essentially the same as the failed Federal I-9 form verification process.  The I-9 process is an ineffective system already employed by the federal government in which fraudulent documents can be used to satisfy the verification requirements, and in which federal law prohibits employers or states from checking the validity of the documents.  The Senate bill also contains fines that are pre-empted by federal law, and therefore unenforceable.