HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The posh seaside community of Hilton Head (search) is a land of opportunity for thousands of immigrant workers, where each day many gather in vacant lots and wait for contractors to show up with job offers.
The illegal aliens (search) call this the Field of Dreams, but not everyone is happy with the situation.
Local businessman John Ingram wants the town of Hilton Head to deny business licenses to companies that hire undocumented workers.
"It's creating a major problem for regular American workers," Ingram said. "It's causing them not to be able to work or get paid a fair wage."
Ingram's proposal would also require employers to give preference to local workers over foreigners, even if they are legal aliens. But some business owners in this resort town say it's already hard enough filling seasonal jobs.
"Our unemployment is always among the lowest in the state of South Carolina and probably among the nation," said Steve Riley, Hilton Head town manager. "There's long been a lot more jobs on Hilton Head than there have been people who lived right nearby to fill them."
Town officials say they are studying the legality of Ingram's proposal, but even if Hilton Head imposes stricter regulations on illegal immigrants, experts say enforcing those rules will be difficult.
Click here to watch a report by Fox News Channel's Jonathan Serrie.
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