This story is a collaboration between Enlace Latino NC y The Charlotte Observer. Read in English here
Even as overnight temperatures remained between 20 and 30 degrees, immigrants desperate to keep their appointments at the Charlotte Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office have had to "camp out" outside the building in recent weeks.
“We’ve been waiting two nights now, since 7:00 pm on Monday,” said a woman on Wednesday morning, January 21, who identified herself as Maria Cristina. “Thank God we’re almost there, and God willing, we’ll get in today.”
Originally from the Mexican port city of Veracruz, she has been seeking asylum for three years, she said. If she missed the annual appointment, she feared she could “lose the entire process.”
Wrapped in blankets, bundled up in multiple coats, and sometimes even carrying camping chairs, many in line told Enlace Latino NC and The Charlotte Observer , that they also had to wait several days to get in. Furthermore, they were worried that they could be detained when attending routine immigration appointments.
A Cuban man who identified himself as Reynaldo said that when people needed to use the restroom or get something to eat, they would go to a gas station near the office on Tyvola Centre Drive.
Now the wait is much longer.
On the freezing morning of Wednesday, January 21, about 200 people were waiting in line. A woman near the entrance said officials were allowing about 30 people in at a time. “Sixty have already gone in; I hope they let more people in,” she said.
The immigrants come from all over, from Cuba to Russia, and now live in places as far away as Henderson, north of Raleigh, near the Virginia border.
DHS spokespeople did not respond to questions from the Observer and Enlace Latino NC about the wait, which many people in line reported to be much longer than in previous years.
A federal agent stationed at the parking lot entrance told reporters The agent indicated that the hours of operation had changed. “It is now open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.”
Marco Ruiz, from Kannapolis, who waited in line with his wife two weeks ago so she could keep her asylum appointment, noticed that many parents had to bring their children.
“It’s very inhumane because there’s no alternative,” Ruiz said of the circumstances in a phone interview. “You can’t reschedule your appointment. If you don’t get in, say, within a week, you basically lose your appointment and are subject to deportation.”
Related: What is known about the possible ICE office in Cary, North Carolina
They wait with fear.
For some, the decision to show up was distressing.
“It really gives fear "We're here, but we do everything we can to be okay in this country," said a Colombian woman named Melissa as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stood nearby.
ICE is part of DHS. Its agents work from the office on Tyvola Centre Drive.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, North Carolina's largest and most diverse city has been a flashpoint for immigration enforcement.
ICE agents have arrested people near a magnet school, outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, and at the immigration courthouse. Parents, community advocates, and lawyers criticized the arrests, saying they violated basic principles of decency and due process.
In November, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents arrested hundreds of people across the city during an operation dubbed “Charlotte’s Web.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which provided conflicting figures on the arrests, declined to release most of the names of those arrested or report whether most had criminal records.
Masked and armed agents, dressed in military uniforms, they stormed into the self-checkout area of a grocery store, parking lots, and a church courtyard.
They were especially active in neighborhoods adjacent to the South Boulevard corridor and in the east of Charlotte, both areas are home to a large part of the city's immigrant population.
“This year I feel much more scared than the first time I came,” she said. “I’m very afraid of what might happen inside. But I trust in God that everything will be alright,” said Melissa, who lives in Charlotte.
The immigrant said she had heard stories of people who showed up for their appointments and were arrested once inside. Others reported that this occurred at the office late last year.
Laura, a woman from Peru, heard similar stories. Laura said she was fired after missing work because she needed to keep her DHS registration appointment. Even after that effort, she felt scared waiting in line.
“Some people go in and never come out again. It seems they are being detained inside, but we don’t know why,” he commented.
She said she did not want to be arrested or separated from her two young children.
El Observer y Enlace Latino NC Spokespeople for DHS and ICE were asked if people who follow the rules and show up for their appointments in Charlotte are being arrested, but by the time of publication of this report, no one had responded.
Related: ICE expansion in Raleigh? Here's what we know so far
People organize themselves in the line
Ruiz, the man who stood in line with his wife during the week of January 12, said that a relative of another person in line compiled a waiting list. He said that provided a much-needed structure.
“Thank God, a lady, on Tuesday, when we arrived, started making a waiting list… That’s how we were able to get in line, because she organized everyone… She went by, one by one, writing down their names and everything.”
Ruiz said that more than 100 people were able to enter on Tuesday, January 13, which was much more than usual, and that he kept track of the list the next day and then passed it on to someone else.
“The security personnel there actually like that list because it’s more organized,” he noted.
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
Greetings from the Southern Border of the United States or the Northern Border of Mexico.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information for the people who live in that beautiful country.