Fidel Rivera, an undocumented immigrant who worked in construction in North Carolina for over 20 years, self-deported to Mexico on October 13, 2025, to avoid potential immigration detention. His family, including his U.S. citizen wife and two daughters, are spending the holidays separated as Rivera must remain in Mexico for at least 10 years before he can reapply for legal status.
Jediael Amaya Sanchez, 46, was detained by ICE agents outside the Buncombe County Courthouse on August 21 while attending a civil complaint hearing. Armed officers in tactical gear conducted the arrest in an unmarked vehicle without notifying local law enforcement or his public defender. Amaya Sanchez had recently been acquitted in a jury trial and had only traffic-related convictions on his record. The incident occurred amid a reported 170% increase in ICE arrests in North Carolina this year, raising concerns among civil rights advocates and local law enforcement about procedural transparency and safety.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Elmer Flores on March 9 after he dropped off his pregnant wife and children at a Mecklenburg County health office for a nutrition program appointment. According to advocacy group Siembra NC, Flores had no criminal record and is being held at a detention facility in Georgia.
A 37-year-old Raleigh man was arrested after allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman at a Motel 6 while impersonating an ICE agent and threatening to deport her if she did not have sex with him. The suspect, Carl Thomas Bennett, showed a fake business card with a badge and is facing charges including kidnapping, second-degree rape, and impersonating a law enforcement officer.
On January 20, 2025, armed men impersonating ICE agents broke into a home in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they assaulted a Mexican immigrant family at gunpoint. A hooded assailant kicked down the victim's bedroom door shouting "ICE! ICE!" before the perpetrators struck one family member's forehead with a gun butt and demanded cash while threatening a baby. The victim realized the intrusion was a robbery rather than an actual federal enforcement action. The case remains unsolved. This incident exemplifies a documented surge in ICE impersonation crimes, with at least 31 cases reported in 2025 alone—nearly six times the decade-long annual average—with 38 percent involving physical violence including armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping.
Showing 6 of 56 incidents
