In theory, the Republican Party is supposed to stand for freedom, small government, low taxes and local control. But what we saw earlier this month with S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham seeking to pressure local sheriffs’ offices and jurisdictions to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is almost unbelievably ironic in light of these supposed conservative values.
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has already asked local jurisdictions to enter into 287(g) agreements with ICE to make it easier to deport local immigrant populations. Though this program has been around since the 1990s, it was not very popular in our state with only two counties participating at the beginning of the year. But due to the GOP political pressure, it has now grown to more than 20 counties. Even worse: McMaster and Graham now want to take precious state funds and reward the counties that enter into these programs.
All of this is part of an effort to strong-arm local officials to work directly with an increasingly rogue and dangerous ICE agency that has been accused of multiple human rights abuses. In short, these programs could either force anyone detained in local jails – even for something simple like not having a license – to have their immigration status run through the system and then potentially be detained by ICE. In some cases, counties actually deputize officers to fulfill ICE duties. In other words, members of the local police become federalized pseudo-ICE agents. This has already happened in Berkeley and Beaufort County.
These harsh policies were not adopted by many South Carolina counties before this year because they are expensive and completely destroy trust between immigrant communities and local police. These policies also distract from a municipal and county focus on public safety to fulfill the agenda of an increasingly authoritarian president. Having local officers serve as immigration officers does not protect our communities and make them safer. Rather, it distracts local law enforcement from real crime.
South Carolina joining with ICE has led to more detentions and deportations in already squeezed local jails. It has led to more children no longer coming home to their parents. Our communities are also losing many essential workers. In the end, this partisan move by McMaster and Graham has nothing to do with conservative values. This is a big government and federal encroachment to the extreme. It is using our hard-earned state tax dollars to support an authoritarian immigrant crackdown by the federal government. It is wrong.
The McMasters and Grahams of the world have the right to promote these types of policies. However, they do not have the right to do so while acting like they care about small government, an overreaching federal government and local control. They are denying all their true conservative values to gain political points with the president, who has also usurped conservative political ideology to push for a type of unbelievable federal and executive control.
Whatever happened to the yellow-flagged cry of “Don’t Tread on Me”? It seems that so many in South Carolina government are begging for the federal government to tread on our communities as much as they can. That’s hypocritical.
Summerville resident Will McCorkle is a college professor.
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