As the United States works to reunite thousands of kids separated from their parents at the border, a Defenders investigation found thousands of immigrants locally are sent back to their home countries after facing some of the toughest judges around.
In fact, the Charlotte Immigration Court has the third highest rate of deportation orders this year, according to records collected by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
Charlotte Immigration Court is projected to hit a 10-year high in the number of annual deportations with almost 5,000 immigrants in just one year, according to TRAC. Through May, the court had ordered 3,250 deportations, including 293 children, according to TRAC. The numbers show just eight ordered deportations for criminal or national security reasons.
It all takes place inside a nondescript office building on the east side of town. The court, located on the fourth floor, handles immigration cases from North Carolina and South Carolina.
A woman we're calling Mayra knows she'll eventually end up in a courtroom there. Struggling to keep her family safe and fed, the terrified mother left Guatemala and is now living in Charlotte.
"She is moving here because of the violence," a translator said. "These people is threatening them to pay their debt or they will take their property and also injure them."
Mayra said she's made every effort to move to this country the right way, but even so, her future looks bleak.
"Yes, she is scared," the translator said.
With an 88.4% deportation rate, Charlotte Immigration Court's outcomes are much higher than the national average of 67.5%, according to TRAC data. Charlotte only lags behind immigration courts in Georgia and New Mexico, according to the numbers.
Roughly about one out of every 10 immigrants who appear in Charlotte gets to stay and the rest are deported, most of them back to their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, according to the numbers.
Latin American Coalition Executive Director Jose Hernandez-Paris said he understands the need for enforcement, but not at this level.
"The chances for individuals are not good right now," he said. "Right now we're about enforcement than about families staying together."
The advocate calls the current system unfair.
"It's not allowing folks to show the need to be able to stay in this country, even if they qualify," he said.
"It's so difficult to show up to court when you're afraid you're going to be taken away from your families.
The best thing for our families is to have access to justice and have a system that allows them to stay and to stay with their families."
As the Trump Administration continues to take a hard line on immigration, immigration attorney Julie Spahn said massive backlogs and widespread fear in Charlotte are the result. In fact, she said many immigrants are afraid to even show up to court and the ones who do, often can't afford an attorney, effectively sealing their fate.
"Very few people are getting asylum, particularly in the Charlotte court. The Charlotte court's very difficult," Spahn said. "Especially now, there's a lot of fear amongst the immigrant community...It does bother me and I think it's just making everything more difficult."
An Executive Office for Immigration Review spokesperson said the federal agency does not comment on TRAC data, because the methodology may be different. However, she did not suggest the numbers are inaccurate.
"Regarding immigration judge decision-making, EOIR takes seriously any claims of unjustified and significant anomalies in immigration judge decision-making and takes steps to evaluate disparities in immigration adjudications," Assistant Press Secretary Kathryn Mattingly said in a statement. "In addition, EOIR monitors immigration judge performance through an official performance work plan and evaluation process, as well as daily supervision of the courts by assistant chief immigration judges.
"Immigration judges adjudicate the matters before them on a case-by-case basis, according to U.S. immigration law, regulations and precedent decisions. Immigration judges consider all evidence and arguments presented by both parties and decide each case in a manner that is timely, impartial, and consistent with applicable law and precedent."