Charleston, SC – As immigration enforcement intensifies across South Carolina, the Charleston chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) has launched rapid-response “Barrio Walks”, with volunteers canvassing apartment complexes and neighborhoods being targeted by ICE.
Working in coordination with the Charleston Immigrant Community Hotline, CSO identifies areas seeing significant ICE activity and mobilizes quickly to distribute whistle kits to residents. Each kit contains know-your-rights cards, a zine with planning resources, trusted local legal contacts, tips for identifying ICE, and a whistle which can be used to alert neighbors when ICE is present in the area.
“People are being pulled out of their homes, taken to detention centers, and families are left scrambling,” said CSO organizer Lucía Peña. “When neighbors know their rights, have the right resources, and can warn each other, that’s how we defend our communities. We keep us safe.”
The urgency is grounded in real numbers. Nearly one-third of all South Carolina immigration arrests in 2025 occurred in Charleston County, according to ICE. That surge is driven in part by the expansion of 287(g) agreements – arrangements that authorize local and state law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement tasks in coordination with ICE, including executing immigration warrants and flagging individuals in custody for transfer to ICE detention centers.
Detainees are frequently transferred to facilities out of state, compounding the chaos for families trying to locate loved ones and secure legal representation. The resulting fear has had a chilling effect on daily life for immigrants in an area known as the Lowcountry. Community members are missing work, pulling their children from school, and avoiding critical medical appointments rather than risk an encounter with ICE.
CSO’s Barrio Walks aim to cut through that fear with direct, neighbor-to-neighbor outreach offering both practical tools and a reminder that their community stands with them and families do not have to face these fears in isolation.
#CharlestonSC #SC #ImmigrantRights #CSO #Featured
From Fight Back! News via This RSS Feed.