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South Carolina state representatives Matt Leber and Jordan Pace spoke with our media outlet this week to provide an update on their quest to hold Charleston County sheriff Kristin Graziano accountable. At issue? Graziano’s failure to cooperate with requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to detain illegal aliens accused of crimes.
“Recently, accusations that your office has been violating state law regarding illegal immigrants have been brought to my attention,” Pace wrote in a recent letter to Graziano.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, since 2011 it has been unlawful in South Carolina for municipalities to refuse to cooperate with (ICE) regarding illegal or undocumented immigrants,” Pace’s letter continued.
“No part of South Carolina should be a sanctuary for illegal immigration ” he later added on X.
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Congresswoman Nancy Mace of Charleston also blasted Graziano from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Graziano received a glowing write-up highlighting her immigration policy from South Carolina Public Radio shortly after taking office.
“The 53-year-old is the first woman to serve as a county sheriff in South Carolina,” the article noted. “She’s also been recognized nationally as one of two openly gay women elected sheriff in states Donald Trump won, and as one of only a handful of Democrats who beat incumbent Republican sheriffs while promising to cut ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
“She kept that promise day one,” it stated.
Despite promising on the campaign trail not to cooperate with ICE – and being lauded by liberals for her commitment to that promise – Graziano has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
“We currently have 13 individuals housed in our facility that are on a hold by an immigration judge,” Graziano said. “We have never refused an order from a judge, and the ICE officers are the ones responsible for obtaining those orders.”
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Nonetheless, Leber argued Graziano is diverting responsibility for her alleged release of more than fifty illegal immigrants.
“Judges don’t need to get involved in order for her to do the right thing,” he said. “These detainers go out from the federal government, the local LEO’s receive them and they can act. All they have to do is retain the criminal until ICE comes.”
“This is just a political decision, and the voters need an answer,” Leber continued. “What is the politics behind this? Why are we doing this?”
FITSNews recently reported on the dangers of the catch-and-release of illegal immigrants, recounting the harrowing case of Rachel Morin – a 37-year-old mother of five from Harford County, Maryland who was raped and murdered by El Salvadorian criminal illegal alien Victor Martinez Hernandez after he was released by law enforcement officials in California.
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RELATED | BORDER DATA HIGHLIGHTS DANGER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
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Leber implored Charleston County residents to support former Mount Pleasant police chief Carl Ritchie in his bid to replace Graziano.
Leber said Ritchie is “heralded there as a no nonsense law enforcement officer,” adding that he “talked to him on this issue of the uncooperative nature of her agency and office, and he has said, by all means he’s going to cooperate with ICE and he’s going to hold these criminals for as long as the ICE detainer allows for.”
Former Charleston County sheriff Al Cannon called Ritchie “the most qualified lawman candidate for Charleston County sheriff.”
Leber cited the fact that “murder is up in Charleston County” and that “crime is up all over the Lowcountry.”
“We need a sheriff that wants to do the job,” he said. “We want a sheriff that wants to actually arrest criminals, jails them for as long as she possibly can, and is not being a political activist and playing politics.”
Leber said there is going to be “another big joint press conference in the October 16th timeframe where congresswoman Mace is going to join us.”
Count on FITSNews for continued coverage of this issue…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: Travis Bell)
Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.
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7 comments
Opie must be butt chugging Red Bull by the volume he has been crapping out lately.
How about ask Mt Pleasant’s good ol’ boy what happened to Molly Wrazen!
One more example of why women should not be in positions of power. They cannot handle it well. Hopefully “Butch” Graziano gets replaced in the next Sheriff’s race.
We can’t elect evil democrats to any office.
Sounds like from your article she is actually not doing the thing you are accusing her of. Maybe you could locate some facts to support your story, like a real journalist. Surely that would not be too hard? Since you don’t seem to get it, that is how news works. Don’t let the accolades from the idiot commenters above trick you into thinking this writing is actually of any use to anyone other than the clowns who come here to get a pat on the head from MAGA nation.
Spoken like a true leftist liberal lawyer. The blood sucking bane of society
NFS!