Crime & Courts

Six stories about ICE activity in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County since year began

Stories by Charlotte Observer journalists, with AI summarization

ICE's recent arrests in Charlotte, including incidents near a school drop-off line and outside the Mecklenburg County courthouse, have sparked fear and debate about public safety and transparency. Local officials like Sheriff Garry McFadden criticize ICE for unclear communication and for not picking up 163 detainees held under new legislation requiring sheriffs to cooperate with federal agents. State law, including House Bill 10 and the proposed House Bill 318, is pushing sheriffs into deeper roles enforcing immigration law, even as some argue this erodes trust within immigrant communities.

Legal experts and advocates challenge federal moves, such as using the Alien Enemies Act to expedite deportations and cutting funds for children's legal help in immigration court. Ongoing cases, like the aftermath of the MS-13 gang sentencing, show how criminal prosecutions often intersect with immigration enforcement, and highlight the evolving landscape facing both local law enforcement and immigrant families in 2025.

ICE near Charlotte school By Miriam Lara

NO. 1: ICE SAYS AGENTS ARRESTED SECOND MAN MONDAY IN NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR CHARLOTTE SCHOOL

A father was detained not far from Charlotte East Language Academy, according to three parents. ICE also arrested another man. | Published May 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehend an undocumented migrant they were surveilling in Herndon, VA, Jan. 15, 2025. By Josh Morgan

NO. 2: FACT CHECK: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT IMMIGRATION, ICE AND MORE IN CHARLOTTE

Answers on ICE, immigration, Sheriff Garry McFadden and more. | Published May 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli

Charlotte’s Immigration Court on Executive Center Drive is among the busiest in the country for children in deportation hearings.

NO. 3: ICE ARRESTED PERSON AT THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY COURTHOUSE, SHERIFF SAYS

The arrest followed rumors about ICE earlier in the day and created fear, a lawyer said. | Published April 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli Julia Coin

A man from Jamaica who preyed on older US adults in a long-running lottery scheme saw his luck run out in a federal courtroom in Charlotte on Jan. 27, 2025.

NO. 4: MS-13 GANG MEMBERS IN CHARLOTTE SENTENCED TO PRISON IN MURDER, RACKETEERING CASES

Two pleaded guilty to murder, another to racketeering conspiracy. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with help from the FBI, arrested seven people in Virginia on Feb. 5, 2025, who they said were in the U.S. illegally. North Carolina faith groups sued the Trump administration on Feb. 11, 2025, over a policy change that allows agents to arrest people at churches, synagogues and schools.

NO. 5: ICE ACCUSED MECKLENBURG SHERIFF OF PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK, BUT HASN’T OFFERED EVIDENCE HOW

“We are following the law,” the sheriff said. “ICE must do the same.” | Published March 26, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden holds a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. By John D. Simmons

NO. 6: MECKLENBURG SHERIFF SAYS HE’S HELD 163 UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE SINCE HOUSE BILL 10 IN NC

That’s a fraction of the overall number of people incarcerated in the Mecklenburg jail since Dec. 1. | Published March 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ryan Oehrli

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.