SC leaders respond to news of ICE office coming to Columbia

File Photo (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– Leaders in South Carolina are responding to the news of an ICE office in downtown Columbia.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette responded to the news of Immigration and Customs Enforcement coming to the Midlands with a post on ‘X’.

Evette says “the new ICE office in downtown Columbia strengthens our commitment to keeping sanctuary cities and illegal immigrants out of the state”.

Evette also stated that law and order in South Carolina isn’t optional.

City of Columbia’s Councilman at-large Tyler Bailey released a state on the news with a post on Facebook.

His post on Facebook made mention of the federal government signing a secret 10-year lease to open an ICE office in Downtown Columbia, and not telling any city leader.

Read Bailey’s full statement below:

Representative Hamilton R. Grant released a statement about the information of ICE coming to Columbia.

Grant made his feelings known about the decision in a post.

Read the full statement below:

Statement from Senator Tameika Isaac Devine:

I strongly condemn the secretive approval of an ICE office lease in Columbia without notice to local officials or community stakeholders. Actions that affect public safety and community trust should never be done behind closed doors. Our city deserves transparency, local oversight, and meaningful consultation, not backroom decisions that leave residents in the dark.

I do not support ICE’s enforcement approach or the expansion of its footprint in our communities. These tactics too often undermine trust, create fear among immigrant families, and weaken cooperation with local institutions and law enforcement. Columbia should be focused on policies that protect civil rights, strengthen neighborhoods, and keep families safe, not unilateral federal moves that do the opposite.