Transport or Conceal Undocumented Aliens

2025-2026 Bill 5275: Transport or Conceal Undocumented Aliens - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5275
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Long
Document Path: LC-0295HA26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 26, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Transport or Conceal Undocumented Aliens
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/26/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 10
)

2/26/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 10
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/26/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION
16-9-460
, RELATING TO UNLAWFUL ENTRY
INTO THE UNITED STATES AND FURTHERING ILLEGAL ENTRY BY OR AVOIDANCE OF
DETECTION OF UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS, SO AS TO ELIMINATE CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, AND TO
ESTABLISH THAT PERSONS SHALL NOT BE IN VIOLATION IF THEY PROVIDE ASSISTANCE OR
SERVICES WITHOUT THE INTENT TO FURTHER UNLAWFUL ENTRY OR AVOID DETECTION BY
AUTHORITIES, OR AS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
16-9-460
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
16-9-460
.
(
A) It is a felony for a
person who has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation
of law to allow themselves to be transported, moved, or attempted to be
transported within the State or to solicit or conspire to be transported or moved
within the State with intent to further the person's unlawful entry into the
United States or avoiding apprehension or detection of the person's unlawful
immigration status by state or federal authorities.

(
B)
It is a felony for a person knowingly or in reckless disregard of the fact that
another person has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in
violation of law to transport, move, or attempt to transport that person within
the State or to solicit or conspire to transport or move that person within the
State with intent to further that person's unlawful entry into the United
States or avoiding apprehension or detection of that person's unlawful
immigration status by state or federal authorities.

(
C)
It is a felony for a person who has come to, entered, or remained in the United
States in violation of law to conceal, harbor, or shelter themselves from
detection or to solicit or conspire to conceal, harbor, or shelter themselves
from detection in any place, including a building or means of transportation,
with intent to further that person's unlawful entry into the United States or
avoiding apprehension or detection of the person's unlawful immigration status
by state or federal authorities.

(
D)
It is a felony for a person knowingly or in reckless disregard of the fact that
another person has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in
violation of law to conceal, harbor, or shelter from detection or to solicit or
conspire to conceal, harbor, or shelter from detection that person in any
place, including a building or means of transportation, with intent to further
that person's unlawful entry into the United States or avoiding apprehension or
detection of that person's unlawful immigration status by state or federal
authorities.

(
E) A
person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and,
upon conviction, must be punished by a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars
or by imprisonment for a term not to exceed five years, or both.

(
F) A
person who is convicted of, pleads guilty to, or enters into a plea of nolo
contendere to a violation of this section must not be permitted to seek or
obtain any professional license offered by the State or any agency or political
subdivision of the State.

(
G) This section does not apply to
programs, services, or assistance including soup kitchens, crisis counseling,
and intervention; churches or other religious institutions that are recognized
as 501(c)(3) organizations by the Internal Revenue Service; or short-term
shelters specified by the United States Attorney General, in the United States
Attorney General's sole discretion after consultation with appropriate federal
agencies and departments, which:

(
i) deliver in-kind services at the
community level, including through public or private nonprofit agencies;

(
ii) do not condition the provision of
assistance, the amount of assistance provided, or the cost of assistance
provided on the individual recipient's income or resources; and

(
iii) are necessary for the
protection of life or safety.

Shelter provided for
strictly humanitarian purposes or provided under the Violence Against Women Act
is not a violation of this section, so long as the shelter is not provided in
furtherance of or in an attempt to conceal a person's illegal presence in the
United States.

(
H) Providing health care treatment or
services to a natural person who is in the United States unlawfully is not a
violation of this section.

(
G) Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsections (A) through (D), a person shall not be in violation of this section
if he provides assistance or services to another person who has come to,
entered, or remained in the United States in violation of the law if:

(
1) the assistance or services are not
provided with the intent to further that person's unlawful entry into the
United States or avoiding apprehension or detection of that person's unlawful
immigration status by state or federal authorities; and

(
2) the assistance or services are
required by federal law.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on February 26, 2026 at 11:16 AM