ICE detained 13 at Wilson Creek on Sunday

A day of relaxing by the water at Wilson Creek quickly turned to an afternoon of fear when ICE detained 13 individuals on the afternoon of July 26.

By the time Sandra Salazar received word that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been spotted at the popular family destination, the federal agency was already in the process of arresting her cousin’s husband and several other individuals.

“We found out that kids weren’t taken when we spoke to some of the families who were affected, primarily because their husbands were taken,” Salazar said. “Moms and kids were left behind — my cousin was one of them, as well.”

Salazar acts as a community resource for ICE sightings across Burke and Caldwell counties.

According to Salazar, once she arrived at Wilson Creek, officers prevented her from entering the road while a white van was escorted out of the area, followed by a truck towing several vehicles.

She said she spent the next several hours working with the relatives of individuals who had been detained. Many of the remaining families hid along the water and refused to come out, afraid the officers would be waiting farther down the road.

Once they finally emerged and reunited with loved ones who had fled in different directions, several families “shared vehicles because they were left behind.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT INVOLVEMENT

According to a July 28 statement from the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, deputies patrol the area on weekends and holidays to assist with public safety and visitor needs.

Sheriff Kevin Bean said ICE requested the department’s help with the operation.

“Our deputies were present to assist our federal partners as requested while continuing our commitment to ensuring the safety of everyone visiting Wilson Creek,” the sheriff said. “We have maintained a strong and successful working relationship with federal law enforcement partners for more than 30 years at Wilson Creek.”

During public comment at the Caldwell County Commissioners meeting on July 27, multiple residents angrily addressed the commissioners, who said they had no authority over the sheriff.

Among those speakers stood Salazar and Ginny Romero Hill, the executive director of Hickory-based Centro Latino, a community resource center for the Hispanic and Latin community across Catawba and the surrounding counties.

Following a series of questions pointed at arrest numbers, charges, and other details, Romero Hill said, “These are questions that we as citizens, as residents of Caldwell County and surrounding counties deserve to know, because our communities are being impacted by this.”

“Is our community safe in Caldwell County?” she continued. “Is this a place for all, or is this just a place for a few?”

Since many of the families had their breadwinners arrested, Centro Latino is assisting them with emergency financial support, such as rent or mortgage and utilities.

According to Romero Hill, even though the arrests occurred in Caldwell, the effects rippled into surrounding counties.

“People are afraid to even go to work,” Romero Hill said in a later interview. “They see a sheriff’s deputy stop somebody and immediately people enter a frenzy and are afraid and automatically assume it’s ICE. It’s trickling into Catawba County. All the hard work that the officers have been doing to build community here, it’s going down the drain because of the actions of Kevin Bean and the Forest Service.”

For concerned residents, Romero Hill had a few words of advice:

• Carry any form of identification
• Have the phone numbers of loved ones and lawyers memorized
• Have a plan of action should something happen, legal or not, since she said she has received reports of people being detained even when they’re legal
• Know your rights

NO INFO ON INDIVIDUAL CRIMINAL CHARGES

Williams said the detained individuals had a variety of criminal charges, with the majority being re-entry related, with some DUIs.

Williams explained that if someone has already entered the country illegally, been arrested, gone through due process, and been deported once, they are not eligible for another consideration and do not go through due process a second time.

Instead, they are held until they can be removed from the United States on the next regularly scheduled mode of transportation.

Aside from special instances, officers do not release specific charges or names in order to maintain privacy. Williams also said that ICE checks names against a database to immediately determine if the individual has legal status, regardless of whether they have identification.

In a news release from ICE, officials said, “Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

As for why Wilson Creek was chosen as the location, Williams declined to discuss targeting methods and how locations are determined, instead saying, “We go where we need to go to effect arrests.”