ICE Arrests 114 Illegal Migrants in ‘Operation Safe Drive’ on South Carolina Highways



Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images

by Warner Todd Huston 3 Jun 2026

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of 114 illegal migrants over a three-day operation on South Carolina’s highways I-26 and I-85 last month.

The arrests were made during “Operation Safe Drive,” which was conducted in the Palmetto State on May 12, 13, and 14, in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies, according to the Columbia Post and Courier.

ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams rated the arrests as both “criminal” and “administrative” but the exact charges and names of the suspects have not yet been released.

The department also said that the operation resulted in “significant seizures of cocaine and cash,” including 10 kilograms of cocaine worth $200,000.

The drugs and cash seizure came about when officers boarded a commercial bus and found a passenger carrying the contraband.

“In total, the operation resulted in 145 stops and 77 vehicle inspections, removing 22 drivers and vehicles from service,” the paper reported.

South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) participated in the traffic stops. SLED, along with 44 other state law enforcement agencies, joined the federal government’s 287(g) program in 2025, and they cooperate closely with ICE in its task of enforcing federal immigration laws.

ICE has been conducting numerous highway operations across the country. Last October, the department arrested 91 in Oklahoma along I-40, the following December, ICE arrested 101 dangerous illegal alien truckers on California’s roads, and just last month Florida law enforcement agencies helped ICE arrest nearly 250 illegals along the state’s roadways.

https://www.breitbart.com/immigratio...lina-highways/