Time in Houston:
South Carolina immigrants worry over racial profiling
October 27, 2011
Many legal immigrants in South Carolina's Hispanic community are growing increasingly concerned that the state's new immigration law will see them racially profiled and be increasingly targeted by law enforcement officials. The new law is due to come into effect on January 1 next year, but a coalition of civil rights organizations, spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union, has filed a suit against it, claiming that it will victimize the entire Hispanic community.
The lawsuit has listed a number of documented immigrants as plaintiffs, including Yajaira Benet-Smith, who was born in Venezuela but is a legal resident of the state. She fears that her accent will see her targeted in the "climate of suspicion" that the law will create.
The structure of the law is similar to those controversial laws already introduced in states including Arizona and Alabama. The new legislation will require law enforcement officers to ascertain the immigration status of anyone they believe could be in the country illegally. It will also require businesses to check the status of new employees through the federal E-Verify system.
South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley - who is the daughter of Indian immigrants - said that she believed in immigrants being given the chance to live the American Dream. However, she added, "But they should also want to do it legally."
Many legal immigrants in South Carolina's Hispanic community are growing increasingly concerned that the state's new immigration law will see them racially profiled and be increasingly targeted by law enforcement officials. The new law is due to come into effect on January 1 next year, but a coalition of civil rights organizations, spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union, has filed a suit against it, claiming that it will victimize the entire Hispanic community.
The lawsuit has listed a number of documented immigrants as plaintiffs, including Yajaira Benet-Smith, who was born in Venezuela but is a legal resident of the state. She fears that her accent will see her targeted in the "climate of suspicion" that the law will create.
The structure of the law is similar to those controversial laws already introduced in states including Arizona and Alabama. The new legislation will require law enforcement officers to ascertain the immigration status of anyone they believe could be in the country illegally. It will also require businesses to check the status of new employees through the federal E-Verify system.
South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley - who is the daughter of Indian immigrants - said that she believed in immigrants being given the chance to live the American Dream. However, she added, "But they should also want to do it legally."
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