Harvey Peeler

Below is an op-ed I recently wrote. Please let me know what you think about this issue by visiting my Facebook page and leaving a comment. Thank you!

Three years ago, we passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that placed South Carolina at the forefront on tackling illegal immigration at the state level. Newspapers were even calling it “the toughest immigration law in the nation.” But – and this will surprise some people – there’s only so much we can do. The law was predicated on laws that were already on the federal books. Thanks to Nancy Pelosi and Washington Democrats, those laws came under attack and put our state — and nation — in the position we are in now.

With Republicans now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, some progress can be made, but the damage has been done. The federal government has a constitutional responsibility to secure our borders, and it’s ultimately the job of the feds to run the show on immigration matters. From protecting our borders to detaining illegal aliens and everything in between, the federal government has failed us.

Believe it or not, the federal government is trying to pass off its foul-ups onto the states. It is trying to craft a solution on the backs of South Carolina taxpayers. Illegal immigrants detained by law enforcement should be placed in federal facilities, since it is a responsibility of the federal government. That’s not happening. In South Carolina, the burden is placed on our state prison system. Our revenues are stretched beyond capacity as it is — South Carolinians shouldn’t be footing the bill for what the feds should, but aren’t, doing.

We’re still doing what we can, though. It does our state no good to sit back and point fingers at Washington while letting the problem persist. That’s why I’m joining Sen. Larry Grooms and 19 other co-sponsors on a new immigration reform measure, one that was passed by the Senate. The issue that led us here is that the federal government didn’t live up to its obligation to protect its citizens. Now states have to take action to protect their borders.

That bill, S. 20, takes new steps to give law enforcement the authority to verify the residency status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if the officer or agency has reasonable suspicion to do so. The bill also allows any agent of the state to take the necessary steps to verify the immigration status before determining eligibility for any public program, benefit or service provided by the federal, state or local government. Senate Democrats went about their usual activity of delaying conservative reform, but common sense eventually won out.

I am serious about the problem of illegal immigration in our state and the feds’ lack of resolve to do anything about it. Senate Bill 20 is a good bill and should be passed by the House. However, we cannot forget to keep the pressure on the federal government to live up to its constitutional duty to protect our borders.