ICE targets arrests at Charlotte courthouse, other sensitive locations
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The Charlotte ICE office. Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images
Lately in Charlotte, ICE agents come wearing plain clothes — sometimes khakis or baseball caps. They wait outside apartments, workplaces, but mostly, courtrooms. They take people, put them in the back of unmarked vehicles and drive off.
- We're unsure when we'll hear from them again.
Why it matters: Immigration and Customs Enforcement is under pressure to triple daily detainments to 3,000, leading to more arrests in sensitive locations like churches and schools.
Yes, but: It's hard to confirm whether those arrested locally are all undocumented or if they committed violent crimes.
- ICE's release of public information and cooperation with the media are limited. Local journalists often struggle to get answers from ICE when following up on cases. Families whose loved ones are detained must wait until an online database is updated to learn where they were taken, advocates say.
- "There seems to be an intentional ambiguity," says Rusty Price, CEO of Camino, a health center supporting the Latino community in Charlotte.
Driving the news: Two Charlotte immigration lawyers tell Axios they are increasingly seeing and hearing of ICE deploying its newest tactic in the courthouse. Immigration cases are being dismissed, then ICE agents — no longer restrained by a pending court case — stop the defendants outside and make arrests, just moments after the hearing.
- "I know their white van. It gets parked right outside the building," says attorney Andrés López. "Every day, morning and afternoon, they are upstairs on the fourth floor. Waiting."
The big picture: A January policy shift authorizes ICE to target courthouses for the first time in years — and it was not allowed under the Biden administration, Axios reported.
- The courthouse crackdown is happening nationally, from Seattle and Phoenix to San Antonio and New York City.
- ICE appears to be specifically targeting immigrants who have been in the U.S. for fewer than two years and can be fast-tracked for deportation through the expedited removal process.
- "They're choosing the low-hanging fruit," López says.
- Attorney Stefan Latorre calls the cooperation between ICE and Department of Homeland Security lawyers "unfair" and "disturbing."
Between the lines: ICE did not respond to a request from Axios for information and clarity on its Charlotte operations and enforcement strategies.
Catch up quick: Several ICE arrests in Charlotte gained notable media attention but have been difficult to follow up on.
- On May 20, armed ICE agents staged an operation at Central United Methodist Church. One person was detained. ICE has not provided any information.
- On May 12, ICE arrested a father near Charlotte East Language Academy's drop-off line. Family members told WSOC an agent said they thought he was someone else.
- On April 23, four people were detained at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. In this case, ICE provided a statement, claiming those arrested had previously lodged immigration detainers that were not "honored" by the sheriff. However, the sheriff told media outlets none of the names had been processed into their facility.
Many other instances of ICE interactions go unreported.
- In the month of May, Carolina Migrant Network received over 133 calls to its ICE hotline about ICE sightings or "suspicious activity," says Daniela Andrade, the nonprofit's communication lead. The Charlotte organization provides free legal representation to people who are being detained.
- "We try to have our community report these sightings because only the community knows what's happening," Andrade says.
- Carolina Migrant Network sends citizen volunteers to investigate possible ICE activity. If the activity is verified, the organization sends out alerts through social media or other forms of communication.
- It's a balancing act because Carolina Migrant Network still wants its community to feel safe enough to leave their homes.
- Andrade says most ICE presence is spotted in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods, areas like Central Avenue, Albemarle, Arrowwood, South Boulevard and Archdale. The organization has heard of ICE stopping work vans and monitoring apartment complexes.
- Price says a Hispanic friend of his was recently pulled over and asked to show any proof of residency.
What's next: Once a person is detained, it can take a family a week or longer to find out where their loved one is, Andrade says. They're usually transferred to a detention facility in Georgia. The family must wait until ICE's Online Detainee Locator System is updated to receive information.
- "It's unreal to believe that this is the world that we're living in," Andrade says.
Editor's note: If you have a recent personal experience with ICE in Charlotte, we'd like to hear from you. Please contact [email protected].