Current Immigration Issues Affecting Charleston

June 13, 2006: Patrick McDavid, of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency of the Department of Homeland Security was at today’s Rotary meeting to talk about how current immigration issues affect the low country. Patrick is the Resident Agent in Charge of the Charleston office, who along with 16 other agents, work to enforce existing customs and immigration law. Mr. McDavid’s office focuses on three main categories of investigation: those pertaining to national security, investigations regarding smuggling and public safety, and financial investigations.

It is estimated that 330 million illegal aliens cross our borders annually. This number is approximately 15% more than the total US population. Up to 5,000 people a day are coming into the United States from Mexico and, in fact, about half of all illegal aliens coming into the US are from Mexico. This is a significant and growing problem here in South Carolina because we live in a state which is perceived by illegal immigrants to be a safe haven. The means and man power is just not available here in South Carolina to apprehend, take into custody and then deport illegal aliens. There are not enough agents, bed space to hold detainees, and deportation is cumbersome since it requires that detainees be processed through Atlanta.

Mr. McDavid told Rotarians that most illegal immigrants are well-intentioned individuals living in extreme poverty who are willing to do whatever it takes to have the opportunity to work hard in order to provide for their families. His office considers their job to be one of prioritizing and targeting high profile and undesirable individuals who are terrorizing neighborhoods, committing crimes, or are involved in illegal activity.

Business owners have the responsibility to follow all laws pertaining to customs and immigration and must determine the legal status of every individual they employ. He reminded business owners that even picking up an illegal alien and transporting them to a work site is considered harboring and is therefore subject to worksite and employer sanctions if caught. Mr. McDavid also advised that government contractors were more likely to be the focus of interest by their office than is the average small business.

Submitted by Helen J. Reynolds, Keyway Committee