Henry McMaster on Immigration

	Henry McMaster on Immigration

Deployed National Guard to defend border & protect state

On his first day in office, President Biden canceled the immigration policies established by President Trump, and halted construction of the border wall, thus surrendering our own nation's sovereignty and security to millions of illegal and undocumented immigrants. The resulting lawlessness and chaos required us to deploy troops from the South Carolina National Guard to defend the border, and to protect our state and others from the danger posed by the cartels and traffickers. Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the S.C. legislature , Jan 19, 2022

Say "no" "sanctuary cities"; don't tolerate lawlessness

Prosperity requires law and order. We cannot tolerate lawlessness. That means we must say "no" to "sanctuary cities." Right now, there is no way for the people of South Carolina--or elsewhere--to know for sure whether our local governments are following state and federal immigration laws.

Experience shows that a refusal to enforce one law generally reflects a softness in enforcing other criminal laws, and attracts criminal behavior. Our rule is "trust, but verify." I support bills which would create an enforcement mechanism to register compliance.

We will keep our people safe, and send a message across the nation that there will be no "sanctuary cities" in South Carolina.

Source: 2018 State of the State speech to South Carolina legislature , Jan 24, 2018

No sanctuary cities; plus annual compliance checks

Governor Henry McMaster announced a new law enforcement initiative to ensure that no South Carolina municipalities become "sanctuary cities" and to establish, in state law, a mechanism through which local officials must annually prove compliance with existing immigration law.

"Our cities are open to all who follow our laws, but are not sanctuaries for those who ignore them," said Gov. Henry McMaster. "South Carolina is a special place, known for the kindness and welcoming nature of its people, but it's also a place that values law and order, and this bill will serve as a strong message to all that we will not tolerate lawlessness."

The legislation would require political subdivisions [cities, towns and counties] to verify compliance with state immigration laws to the SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED) each fiscal year. If a political subdivision is found not to be in compliance, that subdivision will be ineligible for Local Government Fund appropriations for a minimum of three years.

Source: Governor's statement on South Carolina voting record "SLED" , Oct 23, 2017

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*Other governors on Immigration:*			*Henry McMaster on other issues:*
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