Nine held in New Hanover jail among those detained in Triangle immigration sweep
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- Among people detained, nine were held at New Hanover County jail.
- One was Velasquez-Antonio, 23, of Wendell, who had no criminal record.
- Federal agents did not disclose to jail officials where people were taken from there.
Federal officials by midday Wednesday had not said how many people agents had detained in the Triangle since expanding an immigration enforcement surge that began in Charlotte over the weekend.
The News & Observer was able to confirm that federal agents took nine people from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cary to the New Hanover County jail Tuesday.
Among them was Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio, 23, of Wendell, who came to the United States at age 14 from Honduras after her father was killed by a gang, a family member and her boyfriend told The N&O.
Her mother had previously died from cancer, so Velasquez-Antonio entered the U.S. to stay with family in the Triangle, they said.
Velasquez-Antonio was detained Tuesday in the vicinity of a Raleigh-area HVAC business she works for, said the family member, who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation.
Velasquez-Antonio had no arrests or convictions beyond two traffic violations, according to state court records. She had graduated from Corinth Holders High School in Johnston County and bought a home in Wendell recently with her boyfriend, said her family member. They were looking to start a family.
“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 her arrest.
“It’s unfortunate that they are going to deport her when there’s criminals here that should be deported,” Smith added.
County official confirms people were held at jail
Cpl. Eric Meares at the New Hanover jail in Castle Hayne confirmed Velasquez-Antonio was among nine people that ICE officials brought there Wednesday to stay overnight.
The others were men whose ages ranged from 24 to 59, Meares said. ICE officials took all of them Wednesday morning to an undisclosed location, Meares said.
ICE did not share any specifics about why the nine people were taken into custody, Meares said, and ICE officials did not say where they were taking them next.
“We don’t get any information from a federal agency where they take them,” Meares said. “We are just holding them until they can get them somewhere else.
”Smith and the family member said they have received no information about where Velasquez-Antonio is going or what will happen to her next.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” the family member said. “It’s my family. This is awful.”
Federal officials say the number of people arrested in the ongoing U.S. Border Patrol operation in the Charlotte area has exceeded 250 since Saturday, according to the Charlotte Observer
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Nine held in New Hanover jail among those detained in Triangle immigration sweep."