In quiet South Carolina town, another skirmish in immigration battle as councilman seeks ban

Immigration skirmish brews in quiet SC town

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — In a small South Carolina town hundreds of miles from Arizona, another skirmish over illegal immigration is brewing.

Summerville Councilman Walter Bailey has proposed an ordinance requiring most employers to check the immigration status of workers. It would also require those who rent homes or apartments in town to prove they are citizens or in the country legally.

Bailey says the ordinance was sparked in part by the Obama administration’s challenge to the new Arizona immigration law — much of which was blocked by a judge on Wednesday.

Members of the Hispanic community in Summerville say immigration is a federal, not local, issue.

A town attorney is reviewing the ordinance before it goes before council.