CBP Mobilizing in Charlotte, Protest Planned
Governor, mayor and members of Congress release statements
Following reports earlier this week that Customs & Border Protection (CBP) would be launching a mass deportation operation in Charlotte this month, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed Thursday that the agency has informed him agents will begin arriving in the city as early as this weekend.
McFadden insisted that the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has not been requested to assist with or participate in any enforcement actions and will not be involved with any measures regarding enforcement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or CBP, though he welcomes “the renewed collaboration and open communication with our federal partners.”
Later that day, US Rep. Alma Adams of Charlotte released a statement voicing her concerns with the news of federal agents descending upon her constituency.
“I am extremely concerned about the deployment of U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents to Charlotte,” Congresswoman Adams stated. “Charlotte’s immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by and watch my constituents be intimidated or harassed. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and what we have seen border patrol and ICE agents do in places like Chicago and Los Angeles — using excessive force in their operations and tear gassing peaceful protestors — threatens the wellbeing of the communities they enter. Those tactics and values have no place in the City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County.”
On Friday, Gov. Josh Stein also issued a statement responding to the news that CBP would be mobilizing in Charlotte.
“Public safety is the top priority for all of us in government — and that means fighting crime, not stoking fear or causing division,” Stein wrote. “We should all focus on arresting violent criminals and drug traffickers. Unfortunately, that’s not always what we have seen with ICE and Border Patrol Agents in Chicago and elsewhere around the country. The vast majority of people they have detained have no criminal convictions, and some are American citizens.
“I want to encourage North Carolinians to remember our values,” he continued. “We follow the law. We remain peaceful. We do not allow ourselves to be provoked. We stand with our neighbors. And when we see injustice, we bear witness. If you see any inappropriate behavior, use your phones to record and notify local law enforcement, who will continue to keep our communities safe long after these federal agents leave. That’s the North Carolina way.”
CBP commander Greg Bovino responded to both statements in a short tweet on Friday.
“Immigrants rest assured, we have your back like we did in Chicago and Los Angeles,” he wrote. “Rep. Adams, perhaps you & Gov. STEIN should learn the difference between an illegal alien & an immigrant. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities and should self deport via CBP Home.”
Mayor Vi Lyles released her own statement on Thursday responding to McFadden’s report, stating that she nor city staff are aware of the scope or details of the operation.
“I understand this news will create uncertainty and anxiety for many people in our community,” Lyles stated. “Everyone in our community deserves to feel secure and I am committed to doing all that I can to inform our community, help make sure everyone feels safe, and understands their rights.”
She reminded residents that CMPD does not participate in immigration enforcement, a point the department reiterated in a public notice on Friday.
According to the ACLU, CBP has traditionally operated mostly within a so-called “border zone” that exists within 100 miles of any coast or land border, where agents are allowed certain powers that would normally be seen as an infringement of the 4th Amendment. These powers include boarding buses and trains without a warrant, for example.
In cities like Charlotte that are located farther than 100 miles from a border, CBP carries out what they call “roving patrols,” operating under somewhat stricter guidelines meant to protect against unreasonable searches and seizures.
As described in our earlier reporting, Bovino has said his agents are trained to detain folks based on “reasonable suspicion,” which is a lower threshold than probable cause. He denied that his agents will detain someone solely for speaking Spanish.
During a press conference in front of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center on Friday, US Rep. Tim Moore of District 14, which includes a portion of western Mecklenburg County but mostly Gaston, Rutherford, Cleveland and Burke counties, downplayed the news and insisted he believed CBP would only be targeting violent criminals.
Reporting by The Guardian using data published every two weeks by ICE found that, as of Sept. 22, the majority of arrests made by CBP and ICE involved people with no criminal record.
Community organizers have announced a “No Border Patrol in Charlotte” emergency protest beginning at First Ward Park in Uptown at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Queen City Nerve will be there and will continue to cover CBP’s deployment in Charlotte as the situation develops.
