Update: ICE has detained about 25 people this past week in the Triangle area

(Update, Saturday, 5:06 p.m.): ICE has detained up to 25 people this past week according to ICE spokesperson Bryan Cox. 

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(Update 5:17 p.m.): Mayor Pam Hemminger said in a statement that the Town learned yesterday that ICE had operated and detained several individuals in Orange County. 

"We are deeply disturbed by the heightened fear and disruption to families that these raids have caused," she said. "We want to be clear that the Chapel Hill Police Department did not and will not participate in these actions."

The Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue and Hemminger said they are committed to serving every community member regardless of their citizenship status.

“The Chapel Hill Police Department’s position will always reflect our belief that immigration enforcement is best left to the federal agencies,” Blue said. “We hope that the most vulnerable among us will see us as the Guardians of the Hill, not as an entity to be feared.”

The Town of Chapel Hill has Crisis Counselors available to provide support to family members of those detained and anyone in the community impacted by these events. For assistance, please call 919-968-2806.

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(Update 10:27 a.m.): Carrboro Aldermen member Damon Seils said there are arrests being made in nearby areas as well.

"We have also been hearing that there are arrests being made in Chatham County, Siler City and perhaps other parts of the region but we don't know the details," he said. 

The town of Carrboro has been trying to build greater trust between their local immigrant communities, their local law enforcement agencies and surrounding towns for several years. ICE's actions have eroded that trust and make local communities less safe, he said. 

"When you erode trust between communities and their governments and their local law enforcement you make it less likely that community members are going to rely on local law enforcement when they need them," he said. 

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have detained at least two Carrboro residents and at least four other county residents in the past two days, according to a statement released by Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle. 

The Carrboro Police Department was not involved with ICE officials. Immigration status has not been a concern or priority for the Carrboro Police Department, according to a statement that Carrboro Police Chief Walter Horton made last year. 

"Since learning of ICE’s actions, town officials have been working with representatives of El Centro Hispano and other community partners to contact the family members of the detainees and to ensure that they have adequate legal representation," Lavelle said in a statement. 

This is a developing story. Check dailytarheel.com for updates. 

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