In the midst of a recent operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Charlotte, families are facing challenges in locating their detained relatives, prompting concerns among advocacy groups about the broader implications. A case involving a 23-year-old Mexican man highlights these issues, as his family has struggled to maintain contact due to multiple changes in his identification number.
On November 17, CBP agents detained this individual in southwest Charlotte. Despite possessing a work authorization, his family reports they were left in the dark for four days until he managed to call them using another inmate’s phone credits. Since then, the frequent changes in his identification number have made it increasingly difficult for his family to reach him.
“This situation is distressing because it’s been hard to find him and stay in contact, with how many times his identification number has changed,” his mother shared with WFAE.
The online detainee locator provided by ICE has not been updated with his current location, according to his mother, who believes he is at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia.
Daniela Andrade from the Carolina Migrant Network notes that many other families are encountering similar difficulties. “It’s even harder for families to know where they’re located, and you have a lot of families calling us worried because they haven’t heard from their loved ones for days,” Andrade explained.
In response to these concerns, U.S. Representative Alma Adams has taken action by sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. Her request emphasizes the need for transparency regarding the operations and the locations of detained individuals.
As of now, there has been no comment from DHS in response to WFAE’s inquiries.
