ICE conducts operation at Bluffton plant nursery, officials confirm

Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted an operation outside a Bluffton plant nursery Thursday morning, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The operation at Southern Marsh Nursery on May River Road was a joint effort between ICE and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Lt. Daniel Allen of the BCSO said. Sheriff’s deputies were there to manage traffic and allow the fleet of agents’ vehicles to enter the area, he said.

Inmate rosters at the Beaufort County Detention Center showed five people had been arrested by SLED Thursday on the charge of “identity fraud to obtain employment or avoid detection by law enforcement.”

Officials had not yet confirmed these arrests were part of Thursday’s operation, and it was not immediately clear how many people were detained in total.

Andrew Ahmann, the owner of Southern Marsh Nursery, said the agents’ crackdown was focused on the open area behind the business, which is used as a “laydown yard” for a number of local landscapers. He did not witness any arrests but said agents questioned “a lot of people.”

Agents were seen later Thursday on Hilton Head Island near the entrance to Sea Pines, according to Aimee Deverall, an immigration lawyer in Bluffton.

The operation comes after SLED signed an agreement under ICE’s 287(g) program allowing state police to be trained to enforce immigration law.

Representatives for ICE and SLED did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.

This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 3:08 PM.