The immigration ordinance currently being considered by the Town Council clearly conflicts with the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights law, but more than that, it violates America’s tradition of fairness and openness.
If every city and town across the country were allowed to enact its own immigration laws, we would end up with chaos and confusion, causing racial discrimination and ethnic profiling.

Such ordinances place individuals and businesses in the impossible position of trying to comply with multiple sets of incompatible rules at the federal, state and local levels. This puts the city’s economy at risk.

The law would also divert scarce law enforcement resources from the vital task of protecting public safety, and threaten cooperation between the police and the immigrant community, including victims and witnesses to crimes.

These unconstitutional ordinances do nothing to solve the problems with our immigration system, serve only to divide communities, and cost cities millions of dollars to defend them in courts.

We hope the Town Council will think long and hard about the consequences and costs of passing such a discriminatory law before taking the kind of action that other municipalities have come to regret.

Victoria Middleton
Executive Director
ACLU SC National Office