Siembra NC says it expects ICE to increase its presence in the city even if they may not engage in the “racial profiling” seen during last month’s Border Patrol raids.
ICE agents are poised to increase their presence in Raleigh less than two weeks after the US Border Patrol seemed to end its previous operation in the state, an immigrant rights group that has been tracking federal activity says.
Siembra NC, which has created a database of last month’s Border Patrol arrests, traffic stops, and detentions, said over the weekend that it “received multiple credible reports” that 50 agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would soon deploy to Raleigh for a month-long operation.
Siembra cited records showing that agents had reserved charter flights into North Carolina from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6, the same flights Border Patrol agents booked ahead of the raids in Charlotte and Raleigh last month. ICE agents are a regular presence in most US cities and it is unclear if this is the start of some new major push for arrests, reinforcements for existing efforts, or something else.
Siembra said it did not know the parameters or targets of the new operation and acknowledged that ICE does not have the same track record as Border Patrol of making widespread “racial profiling ‘snatch and grab’” arrests.
“We do not have information that suggests ICE is planning the same kinds of arrests as those conducted by [Border Patrol] last week,” Nikki Marín Baena, a co-director of the group, said in a statement from Siembra over the weekend.
But Siembra still wants people to know what it knows.
“Although the exact nature of the operation has not been announced, the kinds of arrests that ICE has typically employed throughout this year make it impossible to get to school and work safely, such as routine traffic stops and workplace arrests,” Siembra said.
“We know this news may cause alarm,” Marín Baena said, urging community members and local businesses to help inform people of their rights and to contact their legislators to “explain why kids and their parents should not have to live in fear.”
Muted warnings from local law enforcement
Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said on social media this week that while he had heard the reports of increased ICE activity, the sheriff’s office had not been told anything by federal agents.
“While we have not received official notification from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, we are aware of reports indicating a potential increase in their activity in our area over the next few weeks,” Rowe said on Facebook.
Rowe urged the community to be safe, but warned folks not to disrupt federal activity. He also pointed out that ICE already conducts operations in the city.
“The presence of ICE personnel in Wake County is not new,” Rowe said. “We ask residents not to engage with or confront ICE personnel and to allow them to carry out their official duties.”
It is legal to film federal agents in public and as they make arrests, but as NC Rep. Phil Rubin, a Wake County Democrat and former federal prosecutor, told Cardinal & Pine last month, you are not allowed to disrupt or impede the agents, or otherwise get in their way.
Rowe also highlighted the difference between ICE and Border Patrol, saying that “ICE operations typically involve targeted enforcement, meaning their personnel are generally focused on specific individuals.”
He urged residents to avoid sharing unsubstantiated rumors.
“Please avoid sharing unverified information on social media. Inaccurate posts can cause fear and may make community members hesitant to call for law enforcement assistance.”
He continued: “The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to the safety and well-being of everyone who lives, works, learns, and visits in Wake County. Our office has not coordinated with ICE regarding any potential operations, and our deputies do not conduct immigration enforcement.”
Border Patrol arrest records derail the ‘worst of the worst’ narrative
Trump administration and Border Patrol officials described the raids last month as targeting “the worst of the worst,” but of the more than 370 people arrested in Charlotte, only 44 had a criminal record. The Trump administration did not release official arrest numbers in Raleigh, but one of the people taken into custody outside the city was a 23-year old high-school graduate who came to NC when she was 14, after her father was killed by a gang and her mother died of cancer. She had only a parking violation on her record.
Far from targeting mass numbers of violent criminals, the November raids spread fear in neighborhoods of people who have worked, gone to school, and been key members of their communities for decades. Videos showed masked agents smashing car windows, pointing guns at passersby, and dragging a US citizen out of his car and throwing him to the ground.
And though Trump officials say US citizens are not targeted or caught up in the raids, more than 170 US citizens nationwide, including children with cancer, have been detained, thrown to the ground, held for days, and harassed, a ProPublica report found.
Last month’s raids also disrupted schools and businesses, and caused widespread fear and protests in two of the state’s biggest cities. Any new operations would rattle Raleigh even more, and surely lead to more protests, Siembra said in the weekend news release.
RELATED: As Border Patrol arrives in Raleigh, advocates offer warnings and guidance
Siembra also urged the community to contact NC Rep. Destin Hall, the Speaker of the Republican-controlled state House, who recently praised the Border Patrol raids, echoed the “worst of the worst” narrative, and asked federal agents to “come back.”
“North Carolina’s schoolchildren and parents do not need to be subjected to more chaos by federal law enforcement agents invited here by State House Speaker Destin Hall,” Siembra said.
“These operations may win him brownie points with MAGA Republicans, but … there’s a long history of culture wars backfiring on elected officials more concerned with attacking North Carolinians than making it possible for them to live dignified lives.”
