We the people dare to create a more perfect union.

Politicians are attacking our reproductive rights. Help us stop S. 323 before it becomes law.

As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) goes rogue and violates our civil liberties, South Carolinians are demanding that their local law enforcement agencies stop signing new ICE collaboration agreements under the 287(g) program. For the second half of our two-part series on the mass deportation agenda in our state, we’re headed to the Lowcountry to hear how locals are pushing back. Curious if your local police have signed an ICE collaboration agreement? Check the map on our blog post, "Are your local police collaborating with ICE?" If you or someone you know have experienced an immigration raid in South Carolina, we would like to hear your story. Hearing community members’ stories helps us understand how rights are being violated as part of immigration enforcement efforts. We have a form you can fill out, with bilingual instructions in Spanish and English, at ⁠aclusc.org/redada⁠. Our petition against a proposed ICE detention camp in South Carolina has 13,000 signatures and counting. Add your name and share it with your friends at aclusc.org/ice25⁠. The ICE Block app mentioned by our guests in the final segment of the episode is no longer available on the leading mobile app stores due to government censorship. For more information about the Charleston-area ICE verification hotline, which is run by volunteers and does not use the app, follow ⁠@chs_hotline⁠ on Instagram. Subscribe to While I Breathe for free via any podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify Podcast Addict Other Podcast Apps

In October 2025, South Carolina public school librarians and students filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block enforcement of the state’s unconstitutional book banning regulation and a classroom censorship memo issued by the state education superintendent. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Regulation 43-170, which bans all materials in kindergarten through 12th grade public schools if they contain descriptions or depictions of “sexual conduct.” This regulation, which was promoted by Superintendent Ellen Weaver and took effect in June 2024, led to the banning or restriction of 22 books statewide — the largest number of state-mandated school book bans in any state, according to PEN America. (See the full list of books below.) The lawsuit also challenges a memorandum issued by Superintendent Weaver on March 14, 2025, that requires state employees to indoctrinate students according to the superintendent’s views on sex, gender, race, and American exceptionalism. The memo prohibits 14 ideas and concepts from S.C. Department of Education materials, including “implicit bias,” “restorative justice,” “cisgender,” and “social-emotional learning,” although it notes that its list of taboo concepts is “not exhaustive.” The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) and three minor public school students. The suit challenges the superintendent’s censorship regime under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Regardless of your immigration status, you have guaranteed rights under the United States Constitution. Learn more here about your rights as an immigrant and how to express them.