Five people arrested for the same crime in Beaufort Co. after confirmed ICE operation

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - [UPDATE 5:24 p.m. 09/25/2025] Five people have been arrested by SLED and booked into the Beaufort County Jail today, WTOC has learned.

All five of these people - Jose Moreno-Romero, Erick Alfons Clavel Gonzalez, Francisco Ramirez Santiago, Pablo Santiago Ramirez, and Arelio Saul Galicia De Leon - are charged with the same offense.

That offense is “identity fraud to obtain employment or avoid detection by law enforcement,” according to booking records.

WTOC is still working to confirm officially whether or not these arrests are connected to the ICE operation in Beaufort County earlier today.

[ORIGINAL STORY] An operation was carried out this morning by ICE and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in Bluffton, SC, WTOC has learned.

After being alerted by a viewer tip about ICE activity in the area, WTOC reached out to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, who confirmed an operation occurred.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said that it was a joint SLED/ICE operation and that the Sheriff’s Office only provided assistance, such as managing traffic around the area.

WTOC is reaching out to additional law enforcement divisions (including SLED) and is working to learn more about today’s ICE operation in Bluffton.