Public Radio East serves Eastern North Carolina by providing news, fine arts, and informational programming that challenges, stimulates, educates, and entertains an intellectually curious audience.

© 2026 Public Radio East

Public Radio East
800 College Court
New Bern, NC 28562

EIN 56-1802728
Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U.S. attorneys seek dismissal of lawsuit tied to NC immigration arrests

Shattered glass from U.S. citizen Willy Aceituno’s car window lay in the parking lot of a South Boulevard shopping center after CBP agents broke the window during an encounter Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.
Julian Berger
/
WFAE
Shattered glass from U.S. citizen Willy Aceituno’s car window lay in the parking lot of a South Boulevard shopping center after CBP agents broke the window during an encounter Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.

The federal government is asking a judge to dismiss a class-action lawsuit challenging warrantless immigration arrests in North Carolina.

The lawsuit was filed in February in federal court in Charlotte by five men who say immigration agents unlawfully detained them. Three of the plaintiffs were arrested during Border Patrol's Charlotte operation in November.

In a court filing submitted Monday, government attorneys argued the men lack legal standing to pursue the case because they cannot show they face a substantial risk of being arrested again.

The lawsuit alleges federal agents carried out warrantless immigration arrests without probable cause and disproportionately targeted Latino communities across North Carolina.

The plaintiffs are backed by the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Democracy Forward.

A judge has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss.

Federal funding is gone. Community support matters more than ever.
One Community. 500 Sustainers.
One Stronger Future.
WFAE is now 100% locally funded. Your monthly gift helps provide the reliable funding needed for future reporting, accountability journalism, election coverage, and the local stories this region depends on.
Support WFAE Monthly

Sign up for EQUALibrium

Tags
Julian Berger is a Race & Equity Reporter at WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR affiliate. His reporting focuses on Charlotte's Latino community and immigration policy. He is an award-winning journalist who has earned Regional Edward R. Murrow and RTDNAC awards for his coverage of heightened immigration enforcement.