A US city has been left reeling from a “whiplash operation” orchestrated by Donald Trump’s administration policy.
Charlotte, North Carolina is still coming to terms with the “terror” of Border Patrol agents appearing and disappearing just as quickly in the city. A week of activity led to hundreds of arrests, according to NPR, with those remaining in Charlotte saying the aftermath of the ICE and Border Patrol raids is still sending shockwaves through the community.
Communities now adapting to the changes made by such raids believe the impact of them will “last a long time,” writes Adrian Florido. Chair of the Board of Education for Charlotte’s public school system, Stephanie Sneed, says the aftermath is taking longer to deal with than the event itself.
She said, “It’s like a hurricane came through… and then we have to deal with the aftermath, which is much longer than the event itself. I would never think that’s something I would see.” Residents have since shared the terrifying moments they saw during the week-long crackdown from Trump’s administration and ICE agents.
One member of the public, Manolo Betancur, a Colombian immigrant and US citizen, says he watched federal agents “tackle three men, zip-tie their hands and haul them away.” Betancur went on to warn families nearby of what had happened.
He said, “I told them, ‘they’re here! They’re here! Go back to your houses!’, and everybody started running back to their houses.” Though many residents are now adapting to the aftermath, some believe ICE agents and deportation activity is still within Charlotte. One person, an undocumented woman referred to as E, voiced their concern about being found.
They said, “They’re waiting for us to go outside so they can hunt us like a cat hunts a mouse.” Those living in the area remain concerned about the long-term effect of the ICE raids over the week.
Daniela Andrade, an advocate for immigrants at the Carolina Migrant Network, believes one of the major troubles for Charlotte now is in helping families deal with relatives who may have been taken by ICE agents.
She said, “It’s hard to say, oh, they’re gone, let’s go back to normal life. In these moments of crisis and fear in our community, it’s hard to tell folks to trust.”
The post US city still reeling from ‘whiplash operation’ orchestrated by Trump admin: report appeared first on Raw Story.
