Manolo’s protest turns block party after Border Patrol appears to leave Charlotte
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Border Patrol in Charlotte
U.S. Border Patrol began making rounds in Charlotte on Saturday morning.
This follows recent Border Patrol activity in Chicago that made headlines, with some reports alleging agents violated people’s rights.
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For most of this week, the people who held signs, blew whistles and burned their car tires on Central Avenue in front of Manolo’s Bakery were doing so in protest of U.S. Border Patrol and ICE.
But on Thursday, after city officials said Border Patrol’s operations would be coming to an end in Charlotte, protesters in one of the city’s cultural corridors also became cautious celebrators.
“There is like a little bit of anger on my community’s behalf,” said Celeste Marquez, who was attending with her family. “But also like celebrating our sense of community that we have together.”
Masked federal agents in paramilitary gear worked out of large SUVs over about five days to detain, question and arrest people in public places in Charlotte as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Businesses, especially in east Charlotte, closed, and families kept children out of school.
But while many people celebrated Thursday evening, there was still some apprehension that Border Patrol may not be finished with Charlotte. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents were not done.
Marquez, who said she is Mexican and a third generation U.S. citizen, said that she’s still afraid that she or her kids may be racially profiled in the future — that a random trip to the store may turn into a traumatizing experience for her family as they are questioned about their background.
She said she wanted to be out on Central Avenue to support the community, especially those who are afraid to go outside. She and her family stood near the front of a protest line Thursday, holding large Mexican flags and signs in English and Spanish as cars drove by honking in support.
Marilyn Marks, who was with her husband, said it was also important that people know protesters can be any age.
“I’ve been pretty active all my life,” Marks said. “This country was built on principles. Not on people, not on politics, but on principle.”
Just down the street, city council member-elect Juan Diego “JD” Mazuera Arias stood wearing a cowboy hat, cheering as cars drove by. Mazuera Arias had been at the protests multiple nights in a show of support and to ensure people were being safe, he said.
“It’s a bunch of teenagers and kids and young people, who are not only waving the flags of the country of their origin, but the American flag,” he said. “This is what it looks like to be American.”
Protests on Central Avenue seemed to grow louder each night. A Fox News correspondent who reported from the scene Tuesday night said it turned into an “arguably dangerous situation” as someone in a frog costume appeared on camera in the live shot.
The Rev. Justin Martin, who is a pastor at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, pushed back on the protests being described as dangerous. He was in attendance with his children, including his son, Andy. Martin and other members of the Charlotte clergy joined the crowd lining the sidewalk.
Mazuera Arias also pushed back on the description of the protests as dangerous. The protests and celebration weren’t chaotic, he said, but Border Patrol was.
“Protests are meant to be disruptive. They’re meant to show a message,” Mazuera Arias said. “What has been chaotic and dangerous has been masked federal agents snatching people just because they look Latino.”
Mazuera Arias, who was previously an undocumented immigrant before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021, has faced racist and xenophobic comments on social media as he has spoken out against Border Patrol’s presence in Charlotte.
But he said he’s also received many supportive messages from people.
“I’m getting messages from people saying ‘You were elected in office at the right time,’” he said. “Honestly, that brings me so much joy, but also a huge sense of responsibility to keep mi gente, mi comunidad — their head up high.”
A large protest and celebration on Central Avenue took place again on Friday evening.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 8:29 AM.
