Live updates: Triangle mobilizes for immigrant neighbors, but arrests may be over
Many Triangle residents are continuing to mobilize for their immigrant neighbors Wednesday, even as the city of Raleigh said a U.S. Border Patrol action that led to several arrests Tuesday may be over.
“We have heard that operations here are suspended, but our information is not official,” Raleigh Public Information Officer Julia Milstead said at 10 a.m.
The Raleigh Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office and Durham County Sheriff’s Office all said they have not been contacted by the Department of Homeland Security about the status of immigration enforcement in the area. Milstead said the city is relying on community reports and people should contact DHS for more information.
Meanwhile Wednesday, Triangle residents were preparing for another day of actions after an immigrant workers group confirmed 20 sightings of and multiple arrests by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Tuesday.
Over 600 volunteers signed up overnight to help in Raleigh, according to Siembra NC, which uses photos, videos and eyewitness accounts to verify people being detained.
By early morning, the group had dispatched trained volunteers across the city to help children and residents get to school and work safely, and to respond to calls to its hotline, the group said in a news release.
“After four days of federal agents creating chaos in North Carolina cities and towns, it’s clear that the people who are showing up to keep our communities safe are the people who live and make our lives here, not these lawless agents,” said Kelly Morales, co-director at Siembra NC.
The News & Observer will be monitoring activity in Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle throughout the day. Check back for updates.
If you have witnessed an interaction between federal agents and residents of the Triangle, please let us know. Send email to metroeds@newsobserver.com.
6:25 p.m. Protesters in Cary
Over 100 residents gathered at the corner of Maynard Drive and Kildare Farm Road in Cary Wednesday afternoon to protest CBP operations in the Triangle.
Protestors held anti-ICE and anti-Trump signs while chanting “no fear, no hate, get ICE out of state” to a trumpet of supportive honking from drivers passing by
Retired lawyer and Cary Indivisible leader Steve Glass organized the protest. Glass said he heard from residents who were frightened by the prospect of Border Patrol coming to the Triangle.
“These are my people, and the immigrants are our people, too,” Glass said.
Teacher S. Goldberg, who withheld her first name out of fear of retribution, said her class had a quarter of its students missing because of fears related to the Border Patrol’s presence.
Goldberg said one of her colleagues, a teacher whose class is ESL-supported (English as Second Language), told her none of her students came to class Wednesday.
“We’re talking about 13-, 14-, 15-year-old students who are not criminals, who have done nothing illegal, and, you know, just want to come to school and learn and they can’t,” Goldberg said.
— Twumasi Duah-Mensah
5 p.m. How many people were arrested in Raleigh?
Nine of the people arrested by federal agents in the Triangle on Tuesday spent the night in the New Hanover County jail before being taken to an unidentified detention facility Wednesday morning.
Among them was Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio, 23, of Wendell, who came here at 14 from Honduras after her father was killed by a gang, a family member and her boyfriend told The News & Observer.
Court records show no arrests or convictions for her beyond two traffic violations.
“She shouldn’t have been one of the ones that were targeted, but she was,” said the family member’s boyfriend, Gene Smith of Wilson, who contacted The N&O about the arrest.
Cpl. Eric Meares at the New Hanover jail confirmed Velasquez-Antonio had been picked up and said the others were men ranging from 24 to 59. Federal agents took them Wednesday morning, Meares said, but did not say where they were headed next.
— Dan Kane
4:30 p.m. Patients skip medical appointments
Scheduled patients stayed away from Wake County Public Health clinics Tuesday.
“Our typical no-show rate averages around 17% and yesterday saw an average around 47.8%,” said Leah Holdren, external communications manager for Wake County. “We understand there may be a level of fear and caution for some of our clients, but we want to reaffirm that our doors are open, and we’re committed to serving all members of our community.”
The Wake County Health Department provides health care for children and adults, in particular low-income residents, through medical clinics. Those clinics include immunizations and vaccinations, family planning and preventative care.
— Anna Roman
4:20 p.m.: Shopping center a ‘ghost town’
Amparo Beauty Salon in Cary was quiet on Wednesday, and Salon Evans in northeast Raleigh was closed. Kimberly Evans, owner of both shops, blamed the immigration enforcement activity.
Federal agents on Tuesday detained an employee from a neighboring business of the Raleigh shop, Evans said.
In Cary, “There’s no clients. Even clients that called who had appointments said they were not gonna make it,” Evans said.
Scenes like this played out across the Triangle on Wednesday. Reporters and photographers found normally busy shops sitting empty, businesses, including restaurants, temporarily shuttered and fewer work trucks and commercial vans moving along major roads.
Read more here from Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Ethan Hyman.
2:50 p.m. Cary mayor tries to reassure community
Ahead of a rally in Cary on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht Jr. released a statement about reports of federal agents appearing at homes, schools, hospitals, restaurants and construction sites in town. Weinbrecht said none of their activities were coordinated with or conducted by the town’s police department.
“This is a sad and difficult time in Cary, where more than a quarter of our citizens are from other countries and have chosen to bring their talents, ideas, and hard work to make this community the amazing place it is today,” Weinbrecht wrote.
“Regardless of one’s stance on immigration, I think we can all agree that the tactics used in these operations instill fear in our community and erode trust between our citizens and the government put in place to protect, support, and serve them,” he continued. “As mayor, my heart breaks for all those impacted by these actions, and I look forward to doing what I can to help us heal.”
— Richard Stradling
1 p.m. Whistles shared with volunteers
Two people in the parking lot of Home Depot in Cary passed out whistles to a group of about 20 people, mostly women.
One woman said her husband 3D printed the “emergency whistles” for advocates to blow when they see immigration agents.
The group had gathered for a training by Siembra NC on how to record immigration officials, explain people’s rights and alert community members about nearby immigration enforcement.
Vonda Mason, a former social worker, attended after talking to Hispanic people in her life who are scared to leave their home, regardless of their citizenship status.
“I wanted to be able to do something,” she said. “Instead of sitting at home and looking at it on TV and on social media. And it’s one thing I can participate in to try to keep people safe.”
Cindy Hancy, who identified herself as half-Hispanic, said she was “deeply saddened” by the immigration enforcement happening in Charlotte.
“To think that somebody could come in armed uniform, with an assault rifle in my face, and for something nonviolent, during the day, is so jarring to me,” she said. “We are not getting violent criminals at 1 p.m. at a grocery store.”
— Anna Roman
11 a.m. Volunteers standing by in parking lots
A small group of Raleigh residents gathered in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter off of New Hope Church Road on Wednesday morning, ready to respond to immigration enforcement in the area.
They are organized through Siembra NC which has tracked and responded to recent immigration enforcement across the state. The volunteers declined to speak to The N&O, but a few said this was their first time doing such work.
Other volunteers are organizing throughout the county and Triangle in similar parking lots and at school bus stops where immigration enforcement is feared.
— Anna Roman
10 a.m. Group wants hospital to bar federal agents without a warrant
Outside Duke Regional Hospital Wednesday morning, community advocates gathered to respond to U.S. Border Patrol arrests Tuesday.
Durham Rising, a nonprofit demanding Duke University pay city taxes and raise its minimum wage, called on the hospital to restrict federal immigration agents from entering its buildings without a judicial warrant.
“Duke is the second larger employer in the state,” organizer Rob Stephens said. “They certainly have a role to play in protecting workers and raising wages.”
Andrea Cazales, a nurse and community advocate in Durham, said newborns at Duke Regional aren’t getting visited by family members who fear federal agents being in or around the hospital.
“This is a public health crisis,” she said.
— Kristen Johnson
9:31 a.m. Durham educators to seek protection for students
The Durham Association of Educators, which represents Durham Public Schools workers, announced it will ask the school district Wednesday night to protect immigrant students from immigration enforcement actions and bullying.
“In the last 24 hours, [the U.S. Border Patrol] has been in Durham. Yesterday, community members were detained near an elementary school. Hundreds of immigrant students across the district stayed home from school,” the DAE said in a news release.
“There is confusion and fear at schools across the district, and DPS staff want to know the plan for keeping our immigrant students and families safe.”
The DPS student body is roughly 35% Hispanic/Latino.
The meeting, part of a regularly scheduled series of meetings between the DAE and DPS leadership, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Staff Development Center, 2107 Hillandale Road in Durham. It is open to the public.
— Mark Schultz
In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observer’s focus on accountability reporting.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Live updates: Triangle mobilizes for immigrant neighbors, but arrests may be over."