Debbie Riddle

State Rep Debbie Riddle Voices Support For South Carolina’s New Immigration Law And The Court Battle With The U.S. DOJ.

// November 5th, 2011 // Latest News

AUSTIN – State Representative Debbie Riddle (R- Houston) supports the citizens of South Carolina, as well as other states such as Alabama, Arizona, Colorado and Utah, who have been forced to pass strong immigration laws on the state level due to the lack of consistent federal enforcement of our immigration laws.

The US Department of Justice has filed suit against South Carolina in order to block the state’s implementation of a new law requiring officers to notify federal immigration officials if they suspect a person is in the country illegally following an arrest for another offense or a traffic stop. The new law forbids officers for detaining persons exclusively for suspicion of immigration status and racial profiling.

Representative Riddle filed similar bills in the last legislative session to those in Alabama and South Carolina. HB 17 would have allowed a peace officer to arrest, without a warrant, a person
who the officer had probable cause to believe was in the country illegally while arresting them for another offense. HB 21 would have required state agencies to report the cost of services they render to people in the country illegally. HB 1202 would have had penalties for businesses who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. None of Riddle’s bills made it out of their respective committees for a vote because of partisan opposition.

“We are a country of laws and I believe we must respect those laws especially having to do with illegal aliens. While economic impact is extremely important, it should not be the end that justifies the means for breaking the law. No country in the world has an open border policy for all who want to come in without any restrictions at all. In fact, no country in the world could survive a policy like that. I am all for revisiting our nation’s immigration laws and policies to make it more efficient for law-abiding, hard working individuals to come to this country legally to earn an honest living and support for their families. However, the emphasis must be on doing so ‘legally’” Riddle said.