Interstate roundup. More than a dozen people were put in handcuffs after immigration agents say a group, suspected of being illegal immigrants, passed through the upstate Monday.
The scene unfolded on I-85 near Highway 9 in Spartanburg County, where 16 people were taken into federal custody.
But this is part of a larger immigration debate in South Carolina; one that is going to come to a head tomorrow in Columbia.
Agents said those arrested were headed from Phoenix to Charlotte. A county deputy stopped their van and called federal agents.
Four men and two women were taken into custody. They are reportedly from Mexico & Guatemala and agents say they appear to be in this country illegally.If so, they picked the wrong time to come to the state.
Tomorrow, an immigration bill that would keep private employers from hiring illegal workers, will go in front of the state House Of Representatives.
Rep. Garry Smith, Republican of Simpsonville, is calling for stricter rules in regulating illegal immigrants.
"This issue has been brewing...for a few years now..it started to come to a head last year, he says"
He says taxpayers here are spending 180 million a year to deal with illegal immigration. And stricter laws in neighboring states have caused South Carolina to become a safe haven.
"They can readily take advantage of the system..for law abiding citizens...which costs the taxpayers of South Carolina also."
Meanwhile, those rounded up today are being processed.
If they are in the country illegally, they'll be deported.
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