Immigrants' Rights

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Upholding the rights of immigrants is important to us all. The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person and are not limited to citizens.

Immigrants are entitled to certain broad constitutional protections.

Due Process: The right to be treated fairly, whether in a deportation hearing or a criminal court proceeding, applies to every person within U.S. borders.

Equal Protection: Prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin.

Free Speech and Religious Freedom: These rights are protected under the First Amendment.

See our Know Your Rights: Immigration page for more details.

Know Your Rights: Immigration

The Latest

Resource
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287(g) Agreements in South Carolina

287(g) agreements authorize local police to do the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are a threat to public safety, a disaster for civil liberties, and a financial burden on local governments.
News & Commentary
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These are the rights ICE doesn’t want you to know about

As federal immigration agencies ratchet up their brazen abuse of citizens and non-citizens alike, we need to constantly remind each other of our rights.
Podcast
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Episode 19: What’s Going On (In the Statehouse)?

South Carolina lawmakers started 2026 with a barrage of bills attacking our reproductive freedom, voting rights, free speech rights, and more. But even on the ugliest days of the legislative session, South Carolinians showed up, spoke out, and wrote in to their lawmakers demanding something better. How do we keep showing up for this work, and just as importantly, why? We get into it with advocacy director Courtney.
Press Release
"South Carolinians Act to Stop State from Unlawfully Deploying National Guard Members as Police in Washington D.C." Background image of soldiers standing in camouflage fatigues.

South Carolinians Act to Stop State from Unlawfully Deploying National Guard Members as Police in Washington D.C.

Governor McMaster’s Partisan Political Move to Militarize U.S. Cities Violates Long-Standing South Carolina Law
Court Case
Jan 07, 2026

SC Public Interest Foundation v. McMaster

Court Case
Apr 18, 2025

Ariwoola v. Noem

An international Ph.D. student at the University of South Carolina faces the threat of arrest and deportation as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has suddenly and unilaterally terminated his F-1 student status. We're suing to defend his due process rights.
Court Case
Mar 20, 2017

United States v. Kolsuz

Court Case
Oct 12, 2011

United States V. South Carolina