A bill aimed at keeping illegal aliens out of Mississippi is working its way through the state legislature. It requires that businesses verify their employees are here legally.

Angel Palsencia, a Mexican immigrant who works as a waiter to support his family on the Gulf Coast, worries that all could change if businesses are forced to check employees’ legal status.

“I’ve lived in Mississippi for seven years, and to make that bill into law, it would stop the future of me and my family,” Palsencia said.

Members of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA), an immigrant rights group, are trying to end the bill that has passed the House and is now before the Senate Labor Committee.

“I think it’s a really racist bill and an attempt to get people of color out of Mississippi,” said Victoria Cintra, MIRA’s organizing coordinator.

“We do have a problem, and we need to do the right thing,” said Senator Richard White (R-MS), who serves on the labor committee and is studying the proposal. He says small business owners are asking for tools provided in the bill.

“I think you’re seeing employers taking a look at their employees and trying to make a decision whether they’re here legally or not,” he said.

Opponents say immigration legislation is best left up to Congress. They question how local law enforcement could even enforce such a law. The bill sets penalties for businesses that fail to comply. They could be fined up to $1,000 and lose state licenses and any public work contracts.

But MIRA members say it’s the workers, not the businesses, who would pay the price.

“The employees are the ones that suffer,” said Cintra. “They end up getting deported and not getting their pay.”

The Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance wants to remind lawmakers it was immigrants who did the brunt of recovery work after Katrina, and says they were forced here because of unfair trade agreements, like North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Many lawmakers will be looking to take a hard stand on illegal immigration as many campaign for re-election.

Senate Labor Committee Chairman Terry Brown says he hasn’t received the bill yet, but when he does, he will schedule a hearing to discuss the issue.