New website logs immigration officer sightings across North Carolina

An immigrant advocacy group in North Carolina has launched a statewide map that shows where federal immigration agents have been spotted.

The map, found at ojonc.org, was unveiled by Siembra NC as there were reports of Border Patrol agents coming to Charlotte for an operation.

Siembra NC said the new website — dubbed “OJO Obrero” or “Look out, workers” — will help people on their way to work, school and other places.

The map has been in the works since July, Siembra NC strategist Andrew Willis Garcés said at a virtual press conference on Friday. It is not a live map; it only shows verified incidents.

“Unlike other apps or websites, information we have received that could be used to identify specific law enforcement agents has been suppressed from the OJO Obrero website, and the information is never updated in real-time,” a news release said.

Users can filter to see verified ICE checkpoints, stakeouts and other actions taken by federal agents.

Garcés said audio recordings, photographs, accounts from attorneys and family members, jail logs and other information will be used to verify sightings.

“It can’t be hearsay,” he said. “We have to have documentary evidence.”

About a dozen volunteers will follow potential sightings and work to verify them.

There are probably many other incidents not being logged, but Siembra NC is using a high bar for verification, he said.

As of Friday, the map showed many sightings this year in the Charlotte area, the Triad and the Triangle. There were far fewer logged in the mostly rural east or the mountains out west.

Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.

This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 12:21 PM.

Ryan Oehrli

The Charlotte Observer

Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.