South Carolina — 3 to 37 Agencies in One Year, Forced Participation Bill
Scale
South Carolina went from 3 to 37 287(g) agencies between February 2025 and February 2026 — one of the most dramatic expansions in the country. The original three (Lexington, York, Horry — all JEM) were joined by 34 more, including SLED statewide and small-town police departments.
SLED Task Force Model
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division signed a Task Force Model agreement in March 2025, authorizing 47 agents with street-level immigration enforcement power. A 2024 state law required SLED to join when the program became available. SLED was among the first statewide agencies nationally to adopt TFM.
H.4764 — Forced Participation
The SC House passed H.4764 on April 2, 2026, voting 85-30 along party lines. The bill would require every law enforcement agency operating a jail or overnight lockup to enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE, eliminating all local discretion.
At the first subcommittee hearing, every public testifier opposed the bill and no member of the public spoke in favor.
The Bed Pressure Signal
Lexington County’s 12 ICE beds are “churning” constantly within 72-hour hold windows — ICE cannot place new detainees until others are moved. This demand-exceeds-capacity dynamic is the strongest signal for detention expansion pressure in SC.
Performance Bonuses
Starting October 1, 2025, DHS reimburses 287(g) agencies:
- Annual salary and benefits for each trained officer
- Overtime up to 25% of salary
- $1,000/quarter per officer for “90-100% assistance to ICE’s mission”
Volume
ICE arrested 3,000+ people in SC in 2025, more than doubling the prior year total.
H.4764 Update (April 2026)
The SC House passed H.4764 on April 2, 2026, voting 85-30. The bill now moves to the Senate. Despite unanimous public opposition at the first hearing (Feb 17), and the ACLU’s “Deputized for Disaster” report documenting racial profiling and civil rights violations, the bill advanced on party lines.
Related County-Level Entries
- Lexington County: lexington-county-detention-center-sc — 781 detainees churned through 12 beds in 2025
- Charleston County: charleston-county-detention-center-sc — 881 arrests, 30% of all SC enforcement
- Richland County: strom-thurmond-holdroom-columbia-sc — Secret hold room, 416 detained in 2025
- Richland County: ice-opla-office-columbia-sc — $4.3M OPLA office, 10-year lease
- Charleston fight: charleston-county-sc-racial-profiling-ice — Documented racial profiling in traffic stops
- Three-county synthesis: sc-midlands-enforcement-infrastructure