South Carolina Immigration Law

The state of South Carolina has enacted an Illegal Immigration Reform Act to stop the hiring of illegal immigrants.

The South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act requires employers to verify that workers are legally authorized to work in the United States or remove them from payroll.

Time Frame

The law began on July 1, 2009, for employers of 100 or more workers and was expanded July 1, 2010, to include all of the state's employers.

Verification

Employers must verify employment eligibility either through the federal E-verify work authorization program, or by verifying that the worker has a valid South Carolina driver's license or Department of Motor Vehicles identification card. Eligible workers may also possess a valid driver's license or identification card from certain other states that are deemed to have requirements as strict as South Carolina's.

Fines

Verifications must take place within five days of hire and businesses with violations have 72 hours to correct problems. Those who can't prove a worker's eligibility may be fined $1,000 for each violation and may lose their business license.

Results

Since July 2009, South Carolina has assessed $700,000 in fines and more than 200 businesses have been cited for immigration violations.

References

• South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act: S.C. Office of Immigrant Worker Compliance
• E-Verify:U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
• SCDMV: SC Illegal Immigration Reform Act, SC Code of Laws, Section 8-14-20
• LLR: Arizona, South Carolina Use Radically Diifferent Approaches to Stopping the Hiring of Illegal Immigrants