Strict immigration laws go into effect in Georgia, South Carolina

Sigh. Despite a couple of provisions thanks to the ACLU and National Immigration Law Center — namely, taking out the Arizona-esque part of the bill that allows law enforcement to check the immigration status of basically anyone they please — Georgia’s new immigration law is going into effect today.

And it still has plenty of problems. One provision of the bill that will go into effect will penalize people who used a fake ID to get a job, which could land them up to 15 years in jail and $250,000 in fines.

South Carolina, on the other hand, passed a bill earlier this week that would require officers to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest who may be “of suspect” to be undocumented.

And just in time for Independence Day.