Durham city leaders denounce immigrant raids in state

After Border Patrol arrests this weekend in Charlotte, the Durham City Council opened its Monday night meeting reaffirming that the Bull City will remain a “welcoming community” for immigrants.

Durham officials are on alert after Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said Border Patrol agents will be in the capital city on Tuesday.

Durham Mayor Leo Williams began Monday’s meeting by reading a joint statement by him; Nida Allam, the chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners; and Bettina Umstead, the chair of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education.

“We denounce any effort that promotes exclusion, incites fear, undermines human rights and compromises safety,” Williams said. “Our schools, neighborhoods and places of employment are stronger because of the diversity of the cultures, languages and experiences that define Durham.

“We stand together in our commitment to protect, uplift and care for every resident who calls Durham home and reject any policy that threatens that trust and unity that we have built in our community,” he said.

Councilman Nate Baker had stronger words about the arrests, saying immigrants have been used as “pawns in this game that the fascist federal government is playing right now in this country.”

“They are being terrorized,” he said. “What we see on television is only a fraction of the terror that is happening in homes across this country and in cities where action is being taken in clear violation of human rights and undermining safety, as our governor spoke earlier.”

Baker said that the City Council would do “everything we can.”

“Our immigrant friends and neighbors are the backbone of our city and of our country,” Baker said. “They are so important for our industries, they are so important for our culture and for our society, and they bring so much, and they have the same hopes and aspirations as everyone else, and they have been thrust into the shadows.”

Councilwoman Javiera Caballero, an immigrant from Chile, said immigrant rights has been an issue she has fought “long and hard for my entire time on Council.”

“I have no doubt that Durham will step up and help protect its residents,” she said. “We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again. I think the risks are a lot harder now, more challenging.”

Councilman Carl Rist, the son of a German immigrant, thanked Caballero for keeping the issue at the forefront for the City Council.

“We’re always stronger on this council and in our public bodies in Durham when we speak with one voice,” he said.

In February, the Border Patrol confirmed the arrests of 11 people, including three young Indian immigrant men, in a Durham neighborhood, The News & Observer previously reported. Neighbors who witnessed the event said they saw tactical gear and masked agents in cars with tinted windows. Details about the arrests, including the men’s identities, were not released.

In July, Caballero and Rist joined other Durham officials and grassroots organization Siembra NC in front of the Durham County Courthouse to alert the community after four plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were seen, frightening some residents.

Months later, the Durham City Council passed a resolution declaring the city a Fourth Amendment Workplace to protect city workers from potential ICE arrests.

On Friday, Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said the Sheriff’s Office was unaware of any planned operations in Durham.

“I want to reiterate that Durham County does not participate in the 287(g) program, and we do not participate in any [Customs and Border Protection] or ICE ‘roundup’” operations,” Birkhead said. “Unfortunately, we are also not informed prior to any such CBP or ICE operations being initiated in local jurisdictions. CBP and ICE agents are federal law enforcement, therefore, they are acting under a federal mandate.”

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This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Durham city leaders denounce immigrant raids in state."

Kristen Johnson

The News & Observer

919-829-4532

Kristen Johnson is a local government reporter covering Durham for The News & Observer. She previously covered Cary and western Wake County. Prior to coming home to the Triangle, she reported for The Fayetteville Observer and spent time covering politics and culture in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of UNC at Charlotte and American University.