Several videos and reports shared this week by community members on social media show ICE agents in undercover vehicles with blue lights making stops on Interstate 77 South, between Fort Mill and Rock Hill, in South Carolina.
Some witnesses traveling on Interstate 77 South reported via Facebook that ICE agents were stopping vehicles, including trailers, work vans, and paint trucks.
The organization Siembra NC reported on Facebook on Thursday, April 16, that it has received reports of arrests in the same area.
“This morning we received two reports to the hotline about arrests at the North Carolina-South Carolina border, near Carowinds/Fort Mill/Rock Hill/I-77 exit 85,” the organization said.
York County Sheriffs call ICE
Siembra NC indicated in the publication that, according to reports, marshals were collaborating with ICE in one of the arrests.
“Yesterday, April 15, at approximately 6:20 a.m., sheriffs in South Carolina stopped a work van and asked for identification from everyone in the vehicle, not just the driver. During the stop, they asked questions about immigration status and called ICE to the scene. Two people (passengers) were detained when ICE arrived. At least one had a work permit.”
*You can watch the full video below
Enlace Latino NC We contacted the York County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction in the area where the arrests occurred, to ask about the collaboration of its officers in the operations, and this is what spokesman Trent Faris told us:
“We have no knowledge of or involvement in the operations of any federal agency.”
Faris also told us that they are part of the 287(g) Program From the 2007.
Workers with work permits are arrested
Siembra NC said it also received a report of another arrest that occurred on Thursday, April 16, around 6:00 a.m., in the same area.
“A work van was stopped and two people were detained and taken into custody by ICE agents. According to the information received, both had work permit "And the person driving has a license," the organization says.
The organization indicated that, in recent days, they have also seen similar reports on social media in this same area.
“Be careful if you live or work in that area. Although it was on the South Carolina side, all the workers were from North Carolina and work in that border area,” he warned.
Related: Misdirections to military bases lead to immigration detentions in North Carolina
Five workers arrested in Rock Hill
Among the arrests that occurred on Thursday, five roofing workers were detained in Rock Hill, according to sources. Enlace Latino NC .
The incident occurred at about 6:20 a.m., when six workers traveling in a pickup truck were filling up a Quick Trip gas station on Celanese Road, near I-77.
“We were leaving the gas station when we started seeing strange movements of unmarked vehicles. By the time they turned on their blue lights, we were already surrounded,” Dimas, the pseudonym of the only worker who wasn't arrested, told us.
Dimas said that most of the workers are Nicaraguan and one is Mexican.
“One of them, named Bryan, tried to escape when they were putting the handcuffs on him,” he said. According to Dimas, the workers were headed to Boone to do roofing work.
Raleigh police reportedly assisted in an arrest
Siembra NC He also reported another incident that occurred on the morning of Thursday, April 16, in Raleigh, where DHS/HSI agents were attempting to detain a person who was inside their vehicle based on an administrative immigration order.
“The agents initially told the person they were there and wanted to talk to her because her vehicle had been in an accident, before identifying themselves as ICE agents when the person asked for their ID,” the organization said.
He said they then escalated the situation by threatening to break the vehicle's window and call the local police, while acknowledging that the person He had no criminal recordRaleigh police arrived at the scene, instructed the person to exit the vehicle, and eventually left without making an arrest.
“Our inspectors arrived on scene and began documenting. The officers responded to the inspectors’ presence, taking photos and following them, and even attempting to photograph their license plate. Shortly after the inspectors arrived, the officers left, indicating they would return, and were later seen circling the area. No arrests were made,” the report states.
The organization notes that these types of arrests appear to have a “distinct pattern”.
“In recent months, we have not received any reports of HSI agents going to homes in the Triangle area. Nor have we heard of them calling in local law enforcement for backup. We don’t know if this is related to the arrests taking place in Charlotte, near the South Carolina border,” the report says.
The organization requests that you call their hotline: 336-543-0353 to report arrests and activity by ICE agents.
Useful resources
>>> Immigration Guide Practical information on processes, procedures and rights
>>> How to report and verify ICE arrests or raids in North Carolina: Links to organizations, tools, and reporting hotlines
>>> Worker's Eye: New map tracking immigration raids in North Carolina: Access to the updated map with confirmed community reports
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