FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

When: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5pm

Where: Corner of Lake Murray Blvd and St Andrews Rd, Irmo

Contact Organizers:

● Julie Zimmerman | 803-529-1484 | julie.zimmermansc@gmail.com

● Steven Asbill | asbillforsc@gmail.com

Community Members Insist that All US Law Enforcement Follow US Laws

Irmo, SC: Community members and advocates will gather on Thursday, January 29, at 5:00 PM at the intersection of Lake Murray Boulevard and Saint Andrews Road for a peaceful protest opposing the actions and policies of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The demonstration will also stand in solidarity with peaceful protesters in Minneapolis, where residents have mobilized to oppose the unnecessary occupation of their city.

Organizers say this peaceful Irmo protest is part of a broader national response to what they describe as a growing pattern of misinformation, intimidation, and violence directed at immigrant communities and those who support them. They call for everyone in the community to join before

ICE’s overreach and brutal behavior become the menace to our community that they have to Minneapolis.

“Enough is enough,” said protest organizer and Democratic candidate for House District 71 Julie Zimmerman. “ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have become an occupying force in this country. After the murder of three American citizens and unnamed countless immigrants, enough is enough. We have untrained, armed agents roaming our streets kidnapping children and adults, sending them to detention centers to never be heard from again, separating families, and destroying the fabric of the America I was raised to believe in. The politicians in the state and in DC need to understand, we want ICE out of our communities now.

“As a proud American,” Zimmerman continues, “I know I have an obligation to stand up to a tyrannical government and that is exactly what we are seeing. I am asking my fellow Americans to stand with us. Join us in solidarity. Jesus, an immigrant, commanded us to welcome the immigrant and care for ‘the least of these.’ He showed us what it means to speak truth to power, and that is the road I am on. That is why we are holding this peaceful protest in Irmo.”

Participants will call attention to what organizers describe as a travesty of blatant falsehoods being repeated by the administration about protesters in Minneapolis. These are claims that mischaracterize peaceful demonstrations and obscure the real human toll, including the loss of life connected to recent enforcement actions and escalations.

“It’s about targeting political dissent. It’s not about lawful immigration, or else there would be no killing of American citizens, investigations targeting Americans who speak out, or breaking into peoples’ homes without warrants” said second organizer Steven Asbill, candidate for State House District 85. “As a follower of Christ and a patriot, our choice must be to stand up for all human life and show the world we still defend liberty in the United States.”

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