More than 40 community leaders and organizations in Charlotte and across North Carolina are backing a public records request for more information about a federal immigration enforcement operation carried out in Charlotte last November.
The ACLU of North Carolina sent the request last month, asking U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies to release records related to the operation.
Supporters sent a letter Thursday to federal immigration authorities and members of Congress representing North Carolina, urging them to disclose the information.
Groups signing the letter include the Carolina Migrant Network, Latin American Coalition, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Action NC and the NC Justice Center. Individuals include N.C. House Representatives Aisha Dew, Julia Greenfield and Jordan Lopez; N.C. Sens. DeAndrea Salvador and Caleb Theodros; and the Rev. Megan Argabrite and the Rev. Nina Wynn.
Supporters say the public deserves more transparency about how federal immigration agents conducted the operation and how arrests were carried out.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has also demanded information about the Charlotte operation, asking now-fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for detailed records from the enforcement effort.
The request comes as the ACLU of North Carolina has filed a class-action lawsuit challenging what it calls unlawful, warrantless immigration arrests.
