Share this Post
This article is being updated as additional information is released.
UPDATE Nov. 28: Pro-immigrant group Siembra NC reported ICE is deploying 50 agents to Raleigh and the surrounding areas Dec. 1 for a monthlong operation.
***
“They went into the building where people were working, being productive members of society, pulled them out, put them in handcuffs and drove away,” says Cary resident Pamela Hoile. “It’s not giving anyone due process.”
Her account captures the fear that swept across Wake County Nov. 18 when Customs and Border Protection moved in with little warning—disrupting school days, shuttering businesses and grinding daily routines to a halt. The terror extended far beyond undocumented residents. With uncertain immigration policies and tactics perceived by many as racially targeted, entire communities shut their doors and stayed inside.
While the exact number of detainees from initial raids is unavailable,* locals witnessed agents making arrests. Hoile witnessed four men taken from a construction site. After spotting an all-black SUV with tinted windows and Texas plates, she followed it as a second vehicle joined, and both pulled into the site, where she says the men were detained. “I call them ‘kidnappings,’” she tells RM.
Across the county, sightings mounted—from Southeast Raleigh to a Cary Home Depot—and pro-immigrant group Siembra NC confirmed at least 20 sightings within the first 24 hours. While unofficial reports claimed the Raleigh raids wrapped up after a day, agent sightings continued, and the sudden appearance of an ICE HQ in Cary* further fueled anxiety as the city slowed across all major sectors.
“As immigrants, our reality is now masked vigilantes with no respect for human rights or the law,” Mala Pata owner Angela Salamanca tells RM. “What do you do with that? That is terrorism.”
Mala Pata quickly announced limited capacity for the week, with Salamanca saying they won’t fully reopen until their staff feel safe coming to work. The restaurateur stressed the importance of talking with impacted communities—not taking away their agency by assuming what they need.
The fear even touched workers with legal status. “I think it’s messed up that people come here, work and try to give their families a better life, and are then being taken,” says a local construction worker, noting many colleagues stayed home for days despite having documentation or DACA status. “I understand it for those with violent criminal backgrounds, but it’s messed up so many have to worry about even walking outside of their house.”
Nowhere was the disruption more visible than in Wake County Schools. A staggering 19,471 students—or 1 in 9—were marked absent the day after CBP operations began. At one local elementary school, an ESL teacher tells RM more than half of her students were out. Officials expect lower attendance to persist as long as CBP does.
Legally, public schools must remain accessible to all children regardless of immigration status under Plyler v. Doe, and Wake County Public School System says it doesn’t track student immigration status and will seek legal counsel before granting any law enforcement access to campuses.
“One thing we want to do is express to our parents that students have a right to be at school,” said Superintendent Robert Taylor in a statement.
The fear gripping the city—and the county—stands in stark contrast to statements from DHS, which maintained their focus is on removing “criminal aliens.” Gov. Josh Stein called on the agency to focus precisely on that: “Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin,” he admonished. Meanwhile, Mayor Janet Cowell strongly urged Raleighites to remain peaceful amid the pandemonium.
Raleigh heeded her call—and showed up. Peaceful protests formed almost immediately, with a clear message: “We aren’t going anywhere,” as one activist says.
“We didn’t ask for this presence,” says Cowell. With DHS refusing to discuss future operations, uncertainty lingers—regardless of whether ICE returns to Raleigh. For now, fear remains the constant, and communities across the state—and nation—are bracing for what comes next.
*As of press time
Related Articles
Share this Post