CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Families packed a Charlotte city council meeting Monday night, pleading with Mayor Vi Lyles and the council members for help.
They said ICE agents were harassing their children at school, and thousands in their community were living in fear.
“It has been weeks, weeks of the raids. We have begged for your help,” one man shouted.
You could feel the desperation and you could see the fear, from those speaking out on behalf of others who can’t at Monday’s meeting.
“We deserve for you all to give us the protection that we need,” a mother said.
During the first week of February, ICE agents made more than 250 arrests across North Carolina. Most of them were in Mecklenburg County.
The uptick happened after the new sheriff suspended the 287g program, which allowed deputies to check the immigration status of jail members.
In the days following, seven North Carolina mayors signed a letter condemning the ICE raids. Lyles was not one of them.
“Charlotte cannot claim as you say to be a welcoming, loving community when you are absolutely silent to families being forced to hide in fear,” one speaker challenged.
“And to Mayor Lyles, I ask why didn’t you sign that letter?” another speaker asked.
The mayor responded. She recently created an outreach committee to assist the city’s 40,000 immigrants.
“At the time that letter came was the time I was working on setting up that committee. And I thought that would work. But it obviously isn’t enough of what you expect of us or of me," said Lyles.
Many say for the last several weeks they’ve been asked to show documents, just because of the way they look, and the language they speak.