Hernando County holds off on immigration programs

County commissioners Tuesday delayed taking any action on adopting tougher new hiring regulations to protect against illegal aliens.

Instead, the board agreed to bring the matter back to a regular meeting sometime in the future.

A representative from the U.S. Homeland Security gave a presentation showing the benefits of two federal programs, including E-Verify, an Internet-based system that allows employers to determine the eligibility of employees to work in the United States.

Another program is called Image, a joint initiative between government and the business community to develop education and training programs to develop a more secure workforce.

But commissioners are concerned about the expense of hiring a monitor to oversee these programs locally and make sure contractors who do business with Hernando County hire only legal workers.

County Commissioner Rose Rocco first proposed the introduction of tougher hiring practices to protect American jobs which she believes are now going to illegal aliens. That, in turn, has a domino effect on the local economy, schools and health care, she said.