This page is information, not legal advice. South Carolina went from 3 to 37 287(g) agreements between February 2025 and February 2026. The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has had a statewide 287(g) agreement since March 2025 with 82 agents authorized. The SC House passed a bill in April 2026 mandating 287(g) for all jail-operating agencies - Senate status pending. The June 2025 Ladson nightclub raid arrested 80 people. The June 2025 Abbeville factory raid arrested 50+ including DACA recipients. South Carolina has no long-term ICE detention facility - detainees go to Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas. A secret hold room in Columbia's federal building held 400+ people in 2025. Verify current conditions with the ACLU of South Carolina or a licensed immigration attorney.
South Carolina's immigration enforcement landscape transformed in 2025. The state entered the year with 3 agencies participating in the federal 287(g) program and reached 37 by early 2026 - a more than tenfold increase driven by pressure from the state attorney general, financial incentives from the federal government, and an ideological push from state and federal officials to maximize local participation in immigration enforcement. The State Law Enforcement Division signed a statewide 287(g) agreement in March 2025, giving SLED agents statewide authority to perform federal immigration enforcement functions.
South Carolina has seen two significant enforcement events that shaped the community's understanding of how enforcement operates here. On June 1, 2025, ICE, SLED, and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office conducted a joint overnight raid on the Alamo nightclub in Ladson, arresting 80 people. On June 3, 2025, a large-scale operation at the Burnstein von Seelen Precision Casting plant in Abbeville County detained approximately 50 people - including individuals with valid work authorization and deferred action status, such as DACA recipients.
South Carolina has no long-term ICE detention facility. People detained in the state are transferred to Georgia - primarily Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin and Folkston ICE Processing Center - or to facilities in Louisiana and Texas. A short-term hold room in the Strom Thurmond Federal Building in Columbia held more than 400 people in 2025, a fact that was not publicly known until a reporter broke the story. The hold time limit was increased from 12 to 72 hours in June 2025.
Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including South Carolina
These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in South Carolina regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
At your front door
The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. An administrative warrant - ICE Form I-200 or I-205 - is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and does not authorize entry to your home without your consent. Ask through the door which type of warrant is being presented. If it is administrative, you are not required to open the door.
During a traffic stop or street encounter
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.
Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting these rights.
At your workplace
ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent in any workplace encounter. Both the Ladson nightclub and Abbeville factory raids used large-scale joint task forces that overwhelmed the workplace environment quickly. If you are in a workplace enforcement situation, remain calm, do not run, and state that you are exercising your right to remain silent.
If you have deferred action status - including DACA
The June 2025 Abbeville factory raid included individuals with valid work permits and deferred action status who were detained. An immigration attorney confirmed that at least two of her clients had both work authorization and deferred action - what should traditionally have been protective status - yet were detained. One was only released because she was eight months pregnant. The Trump administration has moved to detain deferred action recipients, including DACA holders, despite that status. Having deferred action or a valid work permit is not a guarantee against arrest in the current enforcement environment. Consult an immigration attorney about your specific situation.
Do not sign anything without a lawyer
Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first.
Part 2: South Carolina's 287(g) network - SLED and 37 agencies
South Carolina's attorney general sent a letter to all 46 county sheriffs in February 2025 urging them to devote local resources to immigration enforcement. SLED signed a statewide 287(g) Task Force Model agreement with ICE in March 2025. As of early 2026, 82 SLED agents were authorized under this agreement. SLED's Immigration Enforcement Unit conducted 1,015 immigration operations in 2025 - a 261 percent increase from 2024.
Beyond SLED, 37 county and municipal agencies had 287(g) agreements as of early 2026, up from 3 at the start of 2025. These range from large county sheriffs in Charleston and Greenville to small-town police departments in communities like Elloree and Pelion. The ACLU of South Carolina maintains a map and current list of participating agencies at aclusc.org/287g - this is the most current and regularly updated resource for knowing your county's status.
Horry County (Myrtle Beach area) and York County (Rock Hill area) have had jail enforcement agreements with ICE since June 2020 and have been among the most active enforcement counties in the state. Beaufort County's sheriff signed a 287(g) agreement and faced organized local opposition, with hundreds of Beaufort County residents publicly opposing the agreement.
South Carolina's House passed House Bill 4764 in April 2026, which would mandate that every law enforcement agency in the state operating a jail enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE. Agencies would face loss of Department of Public Safety grants for non-compliance. As of mid-2026, the bill's status in the Senate must be verified. If enacted, HB 4764 would eliminate agency discretion and require statewide participation.
Part 3: The June 2025 raids - what they document
The Ladson nightclub raid - June 1, 2025
In the early morning hours of June 1, 2025, ICE, SLED, and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office conducted a joint raid on the Alamo nightclub in Ladson in unincorporated Charleston County. By the end of the operation, 80 people had been arrested. The Charleston Community Service Organization sent representatives to the scene, where they counted approximately 40 to 50 heavily armed law enforcement officers in marked and unmarked patrol vehicles. The arrest total, the nature of the location, and the limited public information released afterward created widespread fear in the Lowcountry immigrant community.
The Abbeville factory raid - June 3, 2025
Two days later, ICE and SLED conducted Operation Ghost Story at the Burnstein von Seelen Precision Casting plant in Abbeville County. Approximately 50 people were detained, and videos circulated on social media showing people walked out of the facility in zip ties. Two plant managers were indicted on charges of facilitating illegal employment. What distinguished this raid in legal terms was the confirmed detention of people with valid deferred action status. Immigration attorney Jessica Wallace confirmed that at least two of her clients - who held both work authorization and deferred action - were detained. One was released only because she was eight months pregnant. The second remained in custody as of the time of reporting, with Wallace unable to reach her.
Both raids illustrate that South Carolina enforcement has targeted workplaces, nightlife establishments, and community gathering places - not just individuals with criminal records - and that having protective immigration status does not guarantee protection from detention in the current enforcement environment.
Part 4: Detention - no state facility, transfer to Georgia
South Carolina has no long-term ICE detention facility. People detained in the state are transferred to ICE facilities elsewhere, often with no advance notice to family or attorneys. Primary transfer destinations are:
Stewart Detention Center, 146 CCA Road, Lumpkin, Georgia 31815. This is approximately five to six hours from Charleston and three to four hours from Columbia.
Folkston ICE Processing Center, 3026 Hwy 252 East, Folkston, Georgia 31537. Also in Georgia, approximately four to five hours from the Lowcountry.
ICE has also reported transfers to facilities in Louisiana and Texas from South Carolina. These long-distance transfers severely limit family access and legal representation.
The short-term hold room in the Strom Thurmond Federal Building at 1835 Assembly Street in Columbia held more than 400 people in 2025 before transfer - a fact not publicly known until a Post and Courier reporter uncovered it. The hold time limit at this and similar hold rooms was extended from 12 to 72 hours in June 2025. People held at hold rooms may not appear in the ICE detainee locator immediately.
Part 5: What to do right now, before anything happens
Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. Transfers to Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas can happen quickly. Family members need the A-number to locate you through the ICE detainee locator.
Know your county's 287(g) status. The ACLU of South Carolina maintains a map and list at aclusc.org/287g. The list is regularly updated and is the most reliable current source. In a county with a Task Force Model agreement, any traffic stop or encounter with local law enforcement can become an immigration enforcement encounter.
Know that deferred action status - including DACA - has not protected people from arrest in South Carolina under the current enforcement environment. If you have deferred action or any pending immigration case, consult with an immigration attorney about your specific situation and risk.
Volunteer ICE watch hotlines exist across South Carolina. Community members use these to report and confirm ICE sightings. Contact the ACLU of South Carolina or the Charleston Community Service Organization for information about local hotlines in your area.
Prepare guardianship documents for any children. Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage accounts and property if you are detained and transferred out of state.
Part 6: Legal help and resources in South Carolina
The ACLU of South Carolina, led by Executive Director Jace Woodrum, has been the most active organization tracking 287(g) expansion, the state's enforcement landscape, and immigrant rights in South Carolina. They maintain a 287(g) map, an enforcement information hub, and know-your-rights resources at aclusc.org.
The Charleston Community Service Organization, co-founded by Dulce J. López, was formed after Charleston police arrested protesters in January 2025 and has become a frontline community resource for the Lowcountry immigrant community.
For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. South Carolina detainees are transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia; Folkston ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia; or facilities in Louisiana or Texas. People held at the Columbia hold room may not immediately appear in the locator. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 if your person is not in the locator.
Immigration Advocates Network lists South Carolina legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.
South Carolina went from 3 to 37 ICE enforcement agreements in a single year, added a SLED statewide agreement with 82 authorized agents, conducted major raids at a nightclub and a manufacturing plant that arrested more than 130 people combined, and transferred detainees to facilities in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. The House passed a bill to mandate 287(g) agreements for all jail-operating agencies - its Senate status must be verified. Deferred action status has not protected people from arrest in South Carolina. Your federal constitutional rights apply in full: an administrative warrant does not authorize entry to your home, your right to remain silent is unchanged, and you cannot be compelled to sign anything without a lawyer. Knowing those rights, knowing your county's current 287(g) status through the ACLU of SC's map, and having the A-number ready for family members are the foundations for protecting your family in South Carolina.
This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. South Carolina had 37 287(g) agreements as of early 2026 - the number may have grown. HB 4764 (mandatory 287(g) bill) passed the SC House in April 2026; Senate status pending. SLED had 82 agents authorized under its statewide agreement as of February 2026. The Ladson and Abbeville raids occurred June 1 and 3, 2025. Verify the current 287(g) agency list at aclusc.org/287g and verify HB 4764's status with the ACLU of South Carolina.