At least 13 people were detained on Sunday, July 26, in Wilson Creek, Caldwell County, during an immigration enforcement operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed in a statement. The agency said it acted in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service.
In the statement, ICE said that several of the people arrested had criminal records, including cases of driving under the influence of alcohol and illegal re-entry into the country.
He maintained that all of them received or will receive due process and that they remain in his custody awaiting deportation or expulsion proceedings.
However, the names of those arrested and how many of them were not released. criminal records and how many were detained solely for civil immigration violations.
The official confirmation came after the community demanded answers both on social media and at the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office. Also yesterday, a group led by community organizers and supported by county residents appeared before the board of commissioners to demand explanations about the operation.
The fear of families
To understand the scale of Sunday's operation, it's helpful to know the location. Wilson Creek is a river accessed through the Pisgah National Forest via Brown Mountain Beach Road, a narrow, single-lane gravel road in each direction.
People park on the side or in the few designated spaces and from there go down to the river.
An fishing spot and water sports, with calm areas for swimming. It's also a popular meeting place and strolling spot for the local community, including the Latino community.
It is also difficult to access: that street is, in practice, the only way in and out.
On Sunday, according to witnesses and family members, authorities positioned themselves on that narrow street. And there was no way to leave the area without passing through the immigration control.
In a video posted on social media, two young people are seen searching for their mother and their younger brother, a 13-year-old. The two were spending Sunday in Wilson Creek when the search began. The footage shows the search and the anguish of those trying to find their families, who were in hiding. to find out if their relatives had been arrested.
The family had received a call to pick up the teenager, but upon arrival, they were not allowed inside. “At that point, if they had taken my mom, the question was: Did they take my brother with her? Or did they leave him behind in the woods at Wilson Creek?” the family member says in the video.
Several sheriff's patrol cars and police vehicles blocked the access road. They reported explaining to an officer that they were looking for a minor who might be alone, but received no information for 20 to 40 minutes.
Only half an hour later did another agent inform them that it was a immigration operationFinally, they were able to reunite with their family, who were waiting, frightened, in that remote area of the national forest.
The community demands answers
The official confirmation came after a day of complaints from the community, which sought answers from local authorities without success.
Members of the community, accompanied by Latino organizations from the region, showed up on Monday at the Caldwell County Sheriff's office, headed by Kevin Bean, to ask for explanations about the operation.
Ginny Romero Hill, executive director of Hickory Latino CenterShe recounted on her social media that they waited a long time and then called her back to let her in alone and without recording. She said she declined for safety reasons and asked that the sheriff come out and speak to the community.
“They told me they would ask him. And he never came back,” Romero Hill wrote in a post. According to her account, they were never informed that Bean had left the building.
Afterward, the group attended the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners meeting. There, according to Romero Hill, the commissioners were unable to answer their questions. “We demand that our leaders properly represent their constituents at all levels. We demand transparency,” he wrote.
Caldwell's Sheriff's Version
A day later, and following community pressure, the Caldwell County Sheriff confirmed his involvement in a Facebook post. He said that ICE and Forest Service agents conducted a checkpoint on a federal highway in the Wilson Creek area and that, “at the request” of the federal agenciesTheir officers were present to assist in the operation.
Furthermore, he said that his office did not take custody of any person and denied that children had been separated from their families.
However, in the case documented by Enlace Latino NC The officers arrested a man whose partner and two children, ages 4 and 10, were with him that day. The mother was allowed to leave with the children; the father was taken into custody. The two children were separated from their father, who remains in custody.
Neither ICE nor the sheriff's office released the names of those arrested, their ages, or their current whereabouts.
Bean also stated that his office has maintained a relationship with federal agencies in Wilson Creek “for more than 30 years.” Since 2020, it has also had a agreement formal with ICE under the 287(g) programIn the Warrant Service Officer model, which only authorizes its agents to act on people already detained in the county jail, not on public roads.
From the first complaints from the community to the response from the authorities, the protests, the vigil, and the analysis of the case, Enlace Latino NC has been monitoring the ICE operation in Wilson Creek. See here for full coverage with all reports, interviews and updates on this case.
The ICE statement
“On July 26, ICE worked with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to arrest 13 undocumented immigrants, many of whom had criminal records including driving under the influence (DUI) and illegal reentry, a felony. All of the undocumented immigrants arrested have received or will receive due process in full. They will remain in ICE custody pending removal or deportation proceedings,” the agency said in an official statement early this morning.
However, the agency did not specify how many of the 13 arrested immigrants had criminal charges or what type of charges they were.
It is worth remembering that in several states of the country, including North Carolina, there are police and sheriff's departments that actively collaborate with immigration.
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