Immigration officials arrest one man outside south Charlotte Latino supermarket

Federal immigration authorities detained a man outside a supermarket off South Boulevard in Charlotte on Monday morning.

The incident took place around 10 a.m. in the parking lot of Wow Supermarket in the 6400 block of South Boulevard. The area is home to a number of businesses that cater to Charlotte’s Latino community.

Video footage reviewed by The Charlotte Observer showed approximately 10 immigration officers surrounding a car attempting to leave the parking lot.

According to Deb Douglas, a volunteer with Siembra NC who was patrolling in the area, the man was a Lyft driver who was dropping off an employee of the store. Siembra NC is an organization that supports Latinos legally and politically in North Carolina.

A Wow Supermarket employee — who requested her name not be used out of fear for her safety — told the Observer that she believed the detained man is originally from Venezuela.

The agents broke the window of the man’s car, according to the employee. Glass from the window remained on the ground of the parking lot Monday evening. A social media post by Siembra NC said the man was “forcibly pulled” from the car and “assaulted.”

The employee said the store closed its doors while the arrest took place in the parking lot. No identifiable immigration officials entered the store after the incident, she said.

“We closed the door because some people [were scared], and we wanted to protect them.”

Latino people in Charlotte just want to work and have a good life in America, she said.

Douglas, who arrived after the arrest occurred, said a vehicle she believed belonged to immigration authorities remained in the parking lot.

“He was sitting back in the back of the parking lot watching the entrance to the store,” Douglas said.

An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

ICE has continued to arrest people in large numbers since a highly publicized raid by the U.S. Border Patrol took place in Charlotte last November. In that operation, federal agents randomly chased people in shopping centers, neighborhoods and a church grounds — making arrests, prompting businesses to close and causing widespread fear among immigrant communities.