Amid rising concerns of ICE raids nationally, Charlotte restaurants are warily on watch
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Charlotte has, for the most part, recently flown under the radar. There have been a few sightings, plenty of social media murmurings and an undeniable unease in Charlotte’s immigrant communities.
Perhaps it’s the uncertainty of the organization’s plans here that’s more frightening for some — the unknown, looming factor of when or where an ICE raid will occur.
ICE raids in major cities
On Jan. 21, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a longstanding guideline set by the Biden administration that had protected “sensitive” areas such as schools, churches and hospitals from raids.
In late January, the Trump administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement initiative in major cities across the U.S., including Chicago. Nationwide, 956 people were arrested and 554 people were detained, CNN reported on Jan. 27.
Alongside Chicago, ICE raids were reported in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Puerto Rico and most recently Colorado and Kansas City. Since then, however, fears have remained high, and a tense atmosphere has many wondering what will happen next.
Local restaurateurs weigh in
Several restaurateurs in the community we spoke to for this article declined to comment out of concern for becoming potential targets.
Among the concerns raised were that people in the Latino community are living in a state of constant vigilance with worries of racial profiling. Other fears touched on included potential effects on children and possible declines in business.
Others showed unease for migrant employees who are here legally under a protected status whose futures are in limbo.
Silence can speak volumes: ‘There were barely any cars’
For Dairelyn Glunt, co-owner of Salud Cerveceria, she’s seen firsthand how ICE’s presence (or perceived presence) has affected her community.
“We live in Windsor Park, which is East Charlotte in the middle of what feels like Little Mexico — it’s very Latino here,” Glunt said. “When the whole ICE thing was happening in Chicago, I remember it felt super calm over here. There were barely any cars.”
While Glunt, a Dominican-American woman, said she hasn’t been directly affected by the administration’s immigration policies, the overall effect it’s been having on her community has left her feeling emotional.
“ It’s sad to see and just know that your people are going through that,” she said.
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Salud Cerveceria is a cozy pizza joint in NoDa that was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2023 for Outstanding Bar. While it’s not necessarily a Dominican-focused spot, Latin culture is an important element of the space.
Salud is best known for its ice-cold beers, chef-driven pizzas, coffees, unique wine selection and monthly events like Noche Latina, a lively Latin dance party on the first and third Saturday of every month.
This past month, Noche Latina was packed, which Glunt said is in stark contrast to other Latin clubs in the city.
“ My security guard told us that most Latino clubs have been completely empty because people are scared to go out,” she explained. “Hopefully they felt safe at Salud.”
At one restaurant: Fewer dine-in customers, more takeout orders
At La Poblanita Mexican Restaurant, a nightclub-restaurant hybrid, co-owner Julio Castaneda confirmed a decline in nighttime attendance.
“We definitely have noticed a decrease,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of fear in the community.”
Castaneda said he’s also noticed a general reduction in Latino customers and an increase in the number of to-go orders.
Castaneda believes that social media, which has seen an increased number of posts with unconfirmed ICE sightings, is fueling a lot of the fear circulating in the community.
“I think the people are [sharing] misleading information on social media, and that’s what’s causing the chaos,” he told CharlotteFive.
It’s not just Charlotte’s Latino community who are feeling anxiety. The Trump administration implemented a freeze on all immigration applications filed by migrants from Latin American and Ukraine allowed into the U.S. under Biden administration programs, CBS reported on Feb. 19.
The application pause will also apply to various Biden administration programs that allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants to come to the U.S. through legal avenues.
“Unfortunately, we have a lot of people from all over the world that come as immigrants but people just think it’s the Latino community,” Castaneda said. “I spoke to people who are Asian and Filipino, and they’re feeling the same way because their status isn’t 100 percent legal or they have a [legal] status that might be removed.”
