State can't afford cost of illegals

I read the recent op-ed by Rep. Phillip Shoopman, R-Dist. 18, in which he criticized the call for a constitutional convention and said that South Carolina needed to act instead. I am glad to see that Rep. Shoopman has decided that the problem of illegal immigration is serious and warrants quick action.

Last year, the South Carolina Senate completed its study of the issue of illegal immigration after several months of public hearings across South Carolina and passed a comprehensive bill based on the Georgia model. That bill sat in the House Judiciary Committee without any action. I hope that Rep. Shoopman will help ensure its quick passage.

The Senate has taken action on this issue and will take more action, and we look forward to working with House Speaker Bobby Harrell and other members of the House of Representatives to craft measures that penalize businesses who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. This may make South Carolina less appealing for illegal immigrants, but it does not solve the problem nor can we be sure that a federal court won't strike down any measure a state passes. The main issue is that the states can't do anything with the core problem of keeping illegal immigrants out or deporting them when they are discovered. The challenge of illegal immigration begs us to act on all fronts and not delay again.

Over the past several months, we have gotten statistics to show how serious the problem is for our state. South Carolina has had a 1,000 percent increase in the number of illegal immigrants between 1990 and 2004 with a total population of approximately 200,000. The illegal immigration prison population in South Carolina increased by 71 percent between 1999 and 2002. Finally, nearly 75 percent of Latinos in South Carolina, according to a recent study, either cannot speak English or have poor English skills. The results are staggering. South Carolina taxpayers spend nearly $186 million annually on illegal aliens to provide education, emergency medical care, and incarceration based on a 2006 estimate.

These are costs that we cannot control by choosing to provide or deny those services. The federal government mandates those costs, and no matter what we as a state pass legislatively those costs will continue and are likely to increase until Congress addresses the issue. That is why I proposed a constitutional convention on the issue of illegal immigration. I would prefer not to have to take such a drastic action, but the problem we face as a state and as a nation is reaching one of catastrophic proportions. We can no longer afford to sit idly by and hope for federal action.

It is my hope that the call for a constitutional convention will be a wake up call to those in Washington that we as states are in trouble and must be allowed the means to take care of ourselves. I have already received inquiries from other states asking for copies of the resolution so that they can draft similar measures for their legislatures.

The constitutional convention call would prevent the federal government from restricting or limiting a state's ability to enforce federal laws; allow states to decide what government benefits to provide or deny illegal immigrants; allow states to regulate immigration matters not addressed by Congress; and require the federal government to provide prompt assistance in expelling illegal immigrants found in a state. This would be basically self-defense against an illegal invasion we have no control over.

Some have concerns about opening up the entire Constitution to a constitutional convention. Since this is an unprecedented area of law, there is no clear answer to whether the convention can be limited. However, I believe that the states can choose to limit the scope of consideration in their call to the convention. I have included in my resolution a statement that the convention shall be called for one purpose and one purpose only - illegal immigration. The safety check is that anything done by the convention must be ratified by three-fourths of the states to be put in the Constitution.

South Carolina cannot afford to believe that any piece of state legislation will be a panacea when in fact it will be no more than a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. Illegal immigration will remain a major problem until our elected officials in Washington take a stand to protect our borders and enforce our laws. Unfortunately, it does not appear they have the will to do so. Perhaps the threat of a constitutional convention will scare them into action. For the well being of our state and nation, I hope it does.

Sen. Glenn McConnell is president pro tempore of the S.C. Senate.