A small group gathered today outside Concord City Hall to protest the recent presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city.
The protesters called for the end of ICE detentions in Concord, which have been reported on social media since last Monday. ICE says it has been conducting a larger operation in areas including Charlotte, but has not given any details.
The group of advocates also called on the city to stand with immigrants and to be transparent on any information they know about ICE activity.
Approximately 14% of Concord’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and close to 10% of Cabarrus County’s population identifies as foreign born.
Samantha Giraldo is a college student in Kannapolis. Her parents are from Colombia and Ecuador, and were both previously undocumented. They have legal status now—but that doesn’t mean they’re not worried.
“They’re scared, they don’t know what to do,” Giraldo said. “They’re still going to work, but they’re being more cautious like ‘oh where are you at’ or ‘what’s going on right now.’"
