Charleston rallies to demand justice for men recently killed by ICE

North Charleston, SC – Hundreds of community members gathered in Park Circle on July 18 for a “Vigil for Justice” called by the Charleston Community Service Organization (CSO) to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Guerrero, as a part of the Legalization for All national week of action.

“We are here to demand justice for those killed by ICE and those who are facing political repression for speaking out against these injustices,” said Roy Xala, a lead organizer with Charleston CSO.

On July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed during an enforcement operation in which agents reportedly mistook him for someone else. On July 13, Joan Sebastián Guerrero was fatally shot, reportedly in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter. The following day, a third man was struck and killed by a tractor trailer on a Florida highway while fleeing federal immigration agents. Over a dozen names were read by organizers followed by chants of “We will not forget.”

The deaths have fueled grief and outrage in communities across the country, and activists and organizers are demanding accountability. One such organizer, Nadia Topete, Centro CSO in Boyle Heights, has become the target of FBI repression. Activists in Charleston lifted up her case during their event.

“We can’t forget to demand hands off Nadia Topete because she is facing repression for the very same thing we are out here doing today, demanding justice for our immigrant and undocumented community members,” said Erica Veal, organizer with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC) and the Freedom Socialist Organization (FRSO). “We have a duty to stand in solidarity with Nadia and all activists facing repression because protesting is not a crime. Today it’s Nadia and tomorrow it could be us.”

The vigil in North Charleston comes as immigration enforcement intensifies across South Carolina. Nearly one-third of all South Carolina immigration arrests in 2025 occurred in Charleston County, a surge driven in part by the intentional expansion of 287(g) agreements that deputize local and state law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement. The fear has had a massive effect on daily life, with community members missing work, pulling children from school and skipping medical appointments rather than risking an encounter with ICE.

CSO led the vigil and built a broad coalition of local organizations who want to stand in solidarity with their immigrant community, including the FRSO Charleston, LAC, Charleston DSA, Indivisible Charleston, 50501 SC, as well as the Charleston Climate Coalition, Free Palestine Charleston and a number of other groups that understand how closely the fight for immigrant rights is connected to their own struggles.

“Lorenzo and Joan should be alive today – and what happened to them could happen to any of our neighbors here in the Lowcountry,” said Charleston CSO organizer Dulce Lopez. “We’re gathering to say their lives mattered, and we won’t stay silent – we will show up and join communities across the country who are taking a stand against ICE’s reign of terror every time.”

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CharlestonCSO