Immigrant rights group calls on Mecklenburg officials to act after ICE arrest
Immigrant advocates on Thursday called on Mecklenburg County officials to tell federal agents that arrests at some places, like public health offices, are out of bounds.
Organizers with Siembra NC again called for the county to take that step following the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest last month of Elmer Flores, a man agents reportedly picked up after he dropped his pregnant wife off for an appointment at a Mecklenburg County Health Department office.
The arrest happened in the parking lot of an office off Beatties Ford Road, his wife told The Charlotte Observer. Siembra held a press conference about the arrest Thursday.
“We’re calling on leaders, elected officials, Mecklenburg County representatives to come forward and say that this essential service site should be off limits for immigration enforcement,” said Siembra Defense Manager Andreina Malki.
Any immigration arrest in a public place is “disruptive,” but one happening at a place where people go for health reasons is especially so, said staffer Emanuel Gomez Gonzalez.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell joined Thursday’s virtual press conference. She said she would “raise this up and try to get some sort of response from Mecklenburg County.”
Rodriguez-McDowell has frequently criticized ICE actions in the county, and previously called on ICE to “respect sensitive locations such as schools, courthouses, workplaces, hospitals and places of worship.”
Across the country, local governments have struggled to stop federal immigration agents since President Donald Trump launched a mass deportation campaign.
In Charlotte, ICE agents have made arrests outside the county courthouse, near a magnet school and in the foyer leading into the federal immigration court. Agents last year stationed themselves in a church’s parking lot.
And for about a week late last year, armed and masked U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolled Charlotte’s streets, chasing random people in shopping center parking lots and other public places, which prompted many businesses to close out of fear.
Asked whether Siembra’s proposal was something he might support and discuss with his colleagues, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Jerrell was noncommittal.
He wants for residents to feel safe, he said.
“I certainly would say that any of our facilities that are public-facing — whether it’s public health or social services — we want to create environments where people feel safe and they feel included,” he said. “We definitely don’t want to discourage people from coming to our facilities.”
Jerrell has not spoken with anyone at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Border Patrol, since Trump’s immigration crackdown started, he said. He was not aware of any other commissioners or staff having those conversations either, he said.
At least one county official has had some contact with the department.
After years of publicly feuding with DHS, Sheriff Garry McFadden met with department officials and formalized the process for ICE arrests at the county courthouse. When Border Patrol carried out its operation in Charlotte last year, McFadden acted as a sort of liaison for the public, announcing when agents were on their way to the city and when they had finished.
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.