As federal agents and local police ramp up immigration enforcement in South Carolina, it is more important than ever to understand how these agencies work.
If you believe your rights have been violated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), or local police conducting immigration enforcement, please report it here.
What are my rights when interacting with immigration agents?
Federal immigration agents and local police are stopping, questioning, and detaining South Carolinians on highways, at their places of work, and at their homes.
Regardless of your immigration status, you have guaranteed rights under the United States Constitution.
You have the right to remain silent, even if an officer has a warrant. If an immigration agent asks if they can search you, you have the right to say no. To enter and search your house or non-public areas of a business — like a restaurant kitchen — ICE needs a valid judicial warrant issued by a court and signed by a judge.
To learn more, visit our page Know Your Rights: Immigration. For more about the different types of warrants, see our page Immigration Enforcement: Administrative vs. Judicial Warrants.
Which police departments are collaborating with ICE?
Under the 287(g) program, state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies can enter agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The most expansive type of agreement, the Task Force Model, essentially turns local police officers into ICE agents.
We have a regularly updated map of which agencies have signed collaboration agreements with ICE.
To learn more, visit our page 287(g) Agreements in South Carolina.
Where are people being detained?
As of June 4, 2026, South Carolina does not have a long-term ICE detention facility. People detained here are often transferred to ICE detention centers in Georgia, including:
- Stewart Detention Center | 146 CCA Road, Lumpkin, GA, 31815
- Folkston ICE Processing Center | 3026 Hwy 252 E, Folkston, GA, 31537
We have also received reports of people being transferred to ICE facilities as far away as Louisiana and Texas.
ICE has also temporarily held people in what it calls “hold rooms,” including Room 1569 of the Strom Thurmond Federal Building (1835 Assembly St, Columbia, SC 29201). More than 400 people were detained there in 2025, a fact that was not publicly known until a reporter at The Post and Courier broke the news.
In June 2025, the Trump administration increased the maximum amount of time individuals could be held in "hold room” facilities from 12 hours to 72 hours.
How do I find someone who was detained by ICE?
If you know someone was detained by ICE, you may be able to find them using ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System. However, the website only locates individuals who are at least 18 years old, and detainees must be in ICE custody for more than 48 hours before they appear in the locator.
The locator uses two methods to locate people in ICE Custody.
The first is using the person’s name, A-Number, a 9-digit number assigned to a person in ICE custody, and their country of birth. If the A-Number is less than 9 digits, put zeros at the beginning of the A-Number to make the A-Number exactly 9 digits.
If you do not know the A-Number, you can search by Biographical Information. You must input the person in ICE custody’s first name, last name, and country of birth.
If there is a hyphen in someone’s name, include the hyphen. If the person has two last names, try using different combinations or only one surname in the search bar.
If you are not able to find someone using the ICE Locator, try contacting nearby detention centers directly. Information may take several hours or days to appear online.
Important: Use caution when calling and avoid sharing unnecessary personal information about immigration status.
Who is monitoring ICE activity in South Carolina?
There are several community hotlines available for community members to report and confirm ICE or other immigration enforcement sightings:
Charleston Immigrant Community Hotline
- 843-806-0414
- Instagram: @chs_hotline
Greenville/Spartanburg Immigrant Community Hotline
- 864-997-4221 (text message only)
- Instagram: @gvl_hotline
Midlands SC Defensa
- 803-400-6610 (phone call only)
- Instagram: @midlandsscdefensa
Local hotline organizers regularly host ICE Watch trainings to help volunteers verify and document immigration enforcement activity.
Please help spread the word. Share this information with your friends, neighbors, and community. If your rights are violated during immigration enforcement, please let us know using the Share Your Story form.
