Parts Of South Carolina’s Immigration Law Blocked

Parts of South Carolina’s immigration law or blocks today by a federal judge. Specifically U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ruled that only the federal government has the authority to enforce immigration law. Here is what Reuters reported:

The judge said South Carolina could not require police officers to check the immigration status of a person they stop for even a minor traffic violation if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally.

This “state-mandated scrutiny is without consideration of federal enforcement priorities and unquestionably vastly expands the persons targeted for immigration enforcement action,” Gergel said.

Gergel also barred South Carolina from making it a felony for anyone knowingly to harbor or transport an undocumented person.

The state cannot require immigrants to carry federal alien registration documents because such registration is under the exclusive control of the federal government, the judge said.