Since he entered office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has issued various executive orders on immigration, including calling for increased military presence at the southern border and the prosecution of immigrants who illegally entered the United States.
Nearly 18,000 residents of Orange County are immigrants, according to 2022 data from Data USA, accounting for more than 12 percent of the county's population. A range of community organizations across the county are working to provide immigrants and refugees with resources and support in light of the recent executive orders.
“People are trying to understand exactly what is going on and also how they can be prepared for the situation, but it's a lot of fear in the community,” Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, the president and CEO of El Centro Hispano, said.
El Centro Hispano is a Latino-led group that builds equity for Latino communities in North Carolina through education, economic support and health services. The organization hosts multiple Know Your Rights workshops, which educate immigrants on the rights they have and how to be prepared to potentially deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The workshops were initially launched in 2024 in response to North Carolina's General Assembly passing House Bill 10, a law that requires North Carolina to comply with ICE's requests.
Another active group working in Orange County is Siembra NC, a grassroots organization working to secure better living conditions for Latinos in North Carolina. Siembra NC hosts ICE watch trainings throughout central North Carolina, which train volunteers to respond to potential reports of the presence of ICE to confirm or deny the accuracy of the report.
“It's a really helpful way for people to volunteer that minimizes this panic in the community,” Nikki Marín Baena, the co-director of Siembra NC, said. “Because either we confirm it is ICE presence, but most of the time we're actually confirming that it is not ICE presence.”
She said Siembra NC has not been able to confirm any reports of ICE being present anywhere in North Carolina over the past two weeks. Most of the reports Siembra NC has received have been what the organization refers to as ghost sightings, she said, which can involve concerns about unrecognized cars, non-ICE law enforcement officers and rumors.
With an increase in people impersonating ICE officers, it is important for immigrants to request a signed judicial warrant with their name signed on it from anyone who is claiming to be an ICE officer, Marín Baena said.
Based in Carrboro, the Refugee Support Center assists refugees in successfully relocating to and living in Orange County.
