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Charleston County Detention Center — 30% of All SC ICE Arrests, 881 in 9 Months

Charleston, SC FIPS 45019
unknown ICE bed allocation
Bed capacity
Operator: Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano

Overview

Charleston County accounts for roughly 30% of all ICE arrests in South Carolina — by far the highest volume of any county in the state. In the first nine months of Trump’s second term (Inauguration Day through October 15, 2025), ICE arrested 881 people in Charleston County out of 1,053 in the tri-county area and ~3,000+ statewide.

Key Details

Arrest Volume:

  • 881 ICE arrests in Charleston County between January 20 and October 15, 2025.
  • 1,053 total arrests in the tri-county Charleston area in same period.
  • Charleston County alone accounts for ~30% of all SC immigration arrests.

287(g) Status:

  • Charleston County Sheriff’s Office signed a 287(g) WSO (Warrantless Search and Observe) agreement on March 10, 2025.
  • WSO is a more aggressive model than JEM — it allows street-level enforcement.
  • Previous 287(g) agreement cost an estimated $4M/year.

Facilities:

  • Charleston County Detention Center (Leeds Avenue, North Charleston) — USMS IGA, avg daily pop ~2 ICE detainees.
  • Charleston SC Hold Room (3950 Faber Place Dr) — ICE hold facility, avg daily pop ~12.
  • These are two of the only designated ICE detention facilities in South Carolina along with York County.

Operation Last Stand (June 1, 2025):

  • Joint ICE/SLED/Charleston County Sheriff operation raided the Alamo nightclub in the Charleston area.
  • 80 arrests with 116 warrants (criminal and immigration).
  • Identified two alleged high-level cartel members (Los Zetas, Tren de Aragua).
  • Recovered a missing child; identified human trafficking victims.
  • Originated from a noise complaint at an allegedly unlicensed nightclub.

North Charleston Racial Profiling Incident (November 3, 2025):

  • Multi-day ICE enforcement operation along Rivers Avenue and Remount Road.
  • SCHP provided two state troopers to conduct traffic stops in coordination with ICE.
  • Witness: SLED appeared to pull over “exclusively Latino-appearing drivers” before ICE moved in with unmarked vehicles.
  • SLED blocked traffic in what appeared to be an attempt to target specific drivers.
  • The ACLU cited this as evidence of racial profiling in their “5 Ugly Facts” report.

Why This Matters

Charleston County is the epicenter of ICE enforcement in South Carolina by volume. The combination of a WSO 287(g) agreement (enabling street-level stops), SLED coordination, and the Operation Last Stand model shows an enforcement apparatus that extends well beyond jail-based screening. The racial profiling allegations in North Charleston are particularly significant — if traffic stops are being used as pretextual ICE enforcement, it raises serious Fourth Amendment and equal protection concerns.

The $4M/year cost of the previous 287(g) agreement, combined with the massive arrest volume, suggests Charleston County taxpayers are subsidizing federal immigration enforcement at significant cost.

Sources

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Last updated: Apr 13, 2026