Dad-burn it. Just when I get an idea of whom I’m going to vote for ... something like THIS has to happen.
GREENVILLE — South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, now running for governor in 2026, outlined her plan to crack down on illegal immigration and protect families in a nationally published FoxNews.com op-ed on Thursday, July 31.
In the piece, Evette unveils her proposal for the Palmetto Penitentiary (a.k.a Palmetto Pen), a first-of-its-kind facility in the state to hold and process illegal immigrants who commit crimes in South Carolina. ...
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Oh, man, I was going to vote for her! I told her, when she came to Laurens County Piedmont Tech, post-Helene, “You’re next,” meaning South Carolina’s next governor. And now, this!?
What a disappointment.
You are going to reward a system that snatches mothers from the arms of their children.
Invades the independent jurisdiction of the judiciary.
Chases farm workers through fields and at least one off a roof top.
Hires away local police officers and sheriff’s deputies with a $50,000 “signing bonus,” and is especially appealing to the para-military training of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
It is so unnecessary, and so pandering, and so much of a black eye for a state trying to recruit businesses from other countries that don’t believe in tar-and-feathering hard-working immigrants.
Plus, we already have places we can “pitch” to the Prison Industrial Complex of the United States.
Fort Jackson has a bunch of acreage. Charleston Naval Base has a brig. The Donaldson Center used to be an air base; now it’s got a bunch of light industries - I guess those WOULD RATHER NOT have an imigrants’ prison “in my neighborhood” but Greeleyville - surely - has some bed-space and certainly acreage.
There is no earthly, logical reason why we need ANOTHER prison in South Carolina. Just to house a bunch of brown people who simply want to work hard, escape political persecution, and try to achieve what used to be known as The American Dream.
And, yes, I know the argument; they don’t have to have a “criminal record” - just being here is a criminal offense. They break the law by their mere existence. By their mere brown-ness.
But, does that make them sub-human?
I’ll answer that for you if it’s too difficult a question - No. it does not. Subjecting humans to alligators - which more often as not just want to be leave alone - is not funny. It’s not a “campaign promise” - it’s not “what I voted for” - its brutalism for the sake of being brutal.
And, it’s working.
No person in their right mind living outside of the United States wants to come into the United States any more. Canadians boycott Vegas, because they’re not sure they will be able to re-cross the border without a stay in detention. And the people who put them in detention don’t care - they don’t consider an hour, a day, a month or six in detention to be any big deal. You’ll get that time back at the end of your life, right? Kind of like “extra time” in soccer (which along with a bunch of other stuff in that sports makes almost no sense). At least the president got a medal out of it when they played that big championship the other day.
You know what I want - instead of a Palmetto Pen, instead of a White House Ballroom in which I will never ball, instead of a Qatar jet - I want Medicaid. I want farmers to sell vegetables to my school district and for kids to eat them for free. I want criminals prosecuted, speedily - I want those 7 people arrested in Bibb County, Alabama, under the jail if they are guilty - and I want them serving time in the prisons we already have.
Reach Vic MacDonald at 864-833-1900 or: news@clintonchronicle.net
MORE:
Evette Follows President Trump’s Lead,
Pledges to Open ‘Palmetto Pen’
GREENVILLE — South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, now running for governor in 2026, outlined her plan to crack down on illegal immigration and protect families in a nationally published FoxNews.com op-ed on Thursday, July 31. In the piece, Evette unveils her proposal for the Palmetto Penitentiary (a.k.a Palmetto Pen), a first-of-its-kind facility in the state to hold and process illegal immigrants who commit crimes in South Carolina.
“As South Carolina’s next governor, I will do everything in my power to protect our families and businesses. That’s why I’m proposing Palmetto Penitentiary (i.e., Palmetto Pen) — a highly secure, isolated prison facility to detain violent, illegal immigrants who break our laws, threaten our communities, and disrespect our borders,” wrote Evette (above in an appearance at PTC, Laurens County).
Key Points from the op-ed
•Evette pledges to build Palmetto Pen, a highly secure holding center for violent, illegal immigrants, when elected governor.
•The facility will “give law enforcement the tools they need to detain and hold these violent criminals safely.”
•Various sites, such as former correctional facilities that are no longer in use, are being considered for the site.
•Evette is committed to working with President Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and local and state law enforcement to “lock up and deport every illegal alien in our state.”
“Palmetto Pen will give law enforcement the tools they need to detain and hold these violent criminals safely. It will ease the burden on our local and state jails. It will act as a powerful deterrent. And most importantly, it will save lives,” writes Evette.
Evette’s proposal is the most aggressive immigration enforcement plan proposed in the South Carolina governor’s race and further underscores her support for law enforcement, secure borders, and President Trump’s America First Agenda.
