AG Wilson pens statewide letter encouraging sheriffs to work with ICE
File Photo: AG Wilson announces indictments issued in “Los Banditos” drug trafficking investigation.
Image: Austin Page/ABC Columbia
(WCIV) — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson sent a letter to the state’s 46 sheriffs Tuesday, encouraging them to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to perform “some” immigration enforcement efforts in their counties.
AG Wilson said the “unprecedented and disastrous influx” of illegal immigrants into the U.S. has led to a “serious strain” on federal and state resources, leading to a “permeation of crime” throughout South Carolina communities.
“As the chief prosecutor of South Carolina, I share the same sentiment as you about keeping our citizens and communities safe,” AG Wilson wrote to the sheriffs. “This is an utmost priority, and we are called to faithfully uphold the laws and Constitutions of this State and the United States.”
Wilson’s office said the purpose of the letter was to encourage South Carolina sheriffs to apply for ICE’s Section 287(g) program, which delegates state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform certain immigration officer functions under ICE oversight.
Wilson said that recently, the 287(g) program has become “almost useless because of bureaucratic red tape,” but senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security, now helmed by former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, have indicated that the program will be “overhauled” to be more user-friendly. In the letter, Wilson said only three counties in the Palmetto State were currently participating in the program, calling it “a good start.”
The 287(g) program has been a controversial topic in the state and was a contentious issue late in the 2024 race for Charleston County sheriff.
Former Sheriff Kristin Graziano and Congresswoman Nancy Mace sparred over the former’s termination of the county’s 287(g) agreement during her sole term. Former Mount Pleasant Chief of Police and Republican Carl Ritchie defeated Graziano in November, and shortly after his swearing in claimed his office was working with ICE.
Wilson hasn’t been safe from Mace’s line of fire either, specifically in regards to immigration. After reportedly accompanying ICE officers on a raid in the Lowcountry, Mace said she and Wilson were “not the same” when it comes to immigration enforcement.
I was out on an ICE raid this morning, you were on TV talking about it.
We are not the same. pic.twitter.com/iadO4knE87
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) January 31, 2025
Wilson appeared on a Newsmax broadcast Friday, expressing his support for ICE and President Donald Trump’s immigration plan.
Here in South Carolina, we back the blue and have a strong history of fighting illegal immigration. Our state and local law enforcement is actively working with @ICEgov and @DHSgov to make sure President Trump’s plan goes flawlessly. Repel the invasion, protect our border. pic.twitter.com/jReyXtVtG2
— Alan Wilson (@AGAlanWilson) January 31, 2025
AG Wilson and Rep. Mace have been tapped as early frontrunners in what could be a crowded Republican primary vying for the South Carolina governorship in 2026, when incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster’s term reaches its limit. Neither have officially announced their candidacy.
AG Wilson’s full letter can be read here.
