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Charleston County council approves Homeland Security grant application after public push for written assurances on ICE
Summary
After two hours of public comment and council debate about whether state-administered homeland-security funds could be used to support immigration enforcement, Charleston County Council approved its committee recommendation to proceed with the 2026 State Homeland Security Grant Program application while requesting written assurances about the grant's scope.
Charleston County Council voted on Jan. 27 to move forward with applying for the 2026 State Homeland Security Grant Program after extended public comment and a staff briefing clarifying how the grant funds would be used.
Emergency Management Director Justin Pierce told the council that the funds come from FEMA through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and are intended to support the county’s regional weapons-of-mass-destruction and HAZMAT team. “These funds are FEMA funds, and they are specifically to fund our regional weapons of mass destruction and hazmat team,” Pierce said, describing uses such as exercises, training, equipment and software subscriptions used to keep the equipment operational.
Multiple public speakers, including Dulce Lopez of the ACLU of South Carolina and immigration attorney Samuel Moore, urged caution and asked the council to add explicit written language barring use of the funds for immigration-enforcement activities. “Before…
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