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Officials crack down on illegal immigration

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Over the past several months, Beaufort County has been conducting audits of businesses and the employee immigration documents they are required to maintain.

So far, auditors have checked the forms at more than 250 businesses in unincorporated parts of the county.

While no business has been stripped of its license -- the most severe penalty -- county officials argue the ordinance makes employers think twice about hiring illegal immigrants.

State legislators also set out to tackle the problem of illegal immigration this year.

Earlier this month, Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill to require employers to verify worker status in one of three ways: by using a federal pilot program called E-Verify, by checking new employees' South Carolina driver's licenses or by making sure those workers have licenses from states similarly strict when it comes to getting a license.

The law also creates hot lines for people to report suspected illegal immigrants who are committing crimes, as well as businesses hiring undocumented workers. It's not clear when the hot lines will be up and running. State officials still have to write enforcement regulations related to the new law.

Most recently, county Sheriff P.J. Tanner negotiated a deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train four deputies and create an ICE task force, which would have the authority to enforce immigration laws. They currently are undergoing training in Charleston.

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