Beaufort residents tell Trump to ‘have a heart’ in rally against immigration policy
A small but vocal group of Beaufort residents rallied near Beaufort City Hall and the Beaufort County Courthouse on Monday but their protest was directed at federal policies being carried out by the new Trump administration 600 miles north in Washington D.C., not local leaders.
The rally was one of many nationwide held on the Presidents’ Day holiday to protest Trump’s controversial directives on immigration enforcement and slashing the federal budget and work force.
“I feel like no one should live in fear or sent back home,” said Ahtziry Medina, holding a sign that read, “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants.”
Medina, 22, who graduated from Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, said she was “fighting for my parents.”
Biara Ortega stood by her side carrying a sign that read, “Don’t Let Privilege Cloud Your Empathy.”
“I want to be a voice for undocumented people,” Ortega said. “As a Dreamer myself, it’s especially important.”
Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Ortega, 23, a native of Mexico, arrived in the country 20 years ago.
Ameilia Steinhauer of Lady’s Island showed up carrying her young son Elijah Heyward and a sign that said, “Have a Heart President Trump.” Steinhauer said she was supporting her best friend Medina by joining the rally.
At the height of the local protest, about 50 people carried signs at the busy intersection of Ribaut Road and Boundary Street as cars whizzed past, sometimes honking in agreement, but that number had dwindled to a handful as the sun began to set Monday.
Signs took aim at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency organization that is looking for ways to slash wasteful federal spending. Musk initially said “at least $2 trillion” in waste could be cut from U.S. government spending, but that figure has been questioned along with Trump’s claim that “billions” already have found.
A similar protest occurred along the Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton. Fliers advertising the protests said: “We are not criminals. We are your neighbors, classmates and friends.”
Viva, group of students and young adults with parents who are involved with the immigration process and support immigration reform, organized the rallies, said Nadia Ramirez. Those students, she said, are smart and organized “and ready to take action.”
“This protest isn’t about race or politics,” Ramirez said. “It’s about the right to live without fear of being separated.”
If people keep ignoring immigrant communities, she said, there could be consequences such as “a week without immigrants,” which would hurt the economy in busy tourist areas during key events.
“This community is a backbone to the local workforce and when community leaders prioritize bias over economic stability, we have a collective responsibility to see that and call it out for what it is,” Ramirez said.
Courtney Cadien of Beaufort said protesters were rallying “for lots of reasons” but said she was concerned about mass deportations that she says could break up families. It’s clear, she said, that the immigration system is “screwed up,” but she added: “There’s a right way to do it and there’s a very impulsive wrong way to do it. And I feel like we are being very impulsive and wrong in how we are handling it.”
Cadien said Indivisible Beaufort also was involved in organizing people to rally. The group that was formed to oppose Trump after he was first elected in 2016. Local chapters formed after a national group called Indivisible organized.
Samantha and Adam Stricker of Beaufort, who are married, heard about the rally from friends.
“I think what’s going on is a little bit disheartening to people in our community especially the immigrants,” Samantha Stricker said. “We know there is a big group of them in Beaufort and they need to be supported right now.”
Trump has vowed to end what he calls an invasion of illegal aliens entering the United States, which he says are undermining American workers and imposing billions of dollars of costs upon state and local governments.
One of his first moves upon entering office was directing federal agencies to “take all necessary action to immediately repel, repatriate, and remove illegal aliens across the southern border of the United States. ” The initial focus has been on tracking down immigrants in the country illegally with criminal backgrounds but Trump has promised to broaden those efforts to anybody in the country illegally.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
