South Carolina is combating illegal immigration with a less aggressive law than other states, with the second phase starting this week of a program that politicians and business owners say is working.

Arizona's tough immigration law passed earlier this year set off demonstrations and controversy, while South Carolina's regulation has quietly been putting illegal immigrants out of work, officials say. The South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act, which created the new regulations, was debated intensely but ultimately passed two years ago.

In the first year, the rule - which requires employers to verify every new worker's immigration status and penalizes businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants - resulted in citations for about 10 percent of the businesses audited, including about a dozen in Horry and Georgetown counties, according to state records.

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