Elected officials and immigrant advocacy organizations want answers after ICE held at gunpoint and detained a U.S. citizen in east Charlotte on Wednesday, in a targeted operation to arrest the undocumented passenger in the truck.
Atilio Portillo says ICE agents boxed in his pickup truck Wednesday, broke its windows and pointed a gun at his face. He and his nephew were handcuffed for nearly 30 minutes while agents checked their citizenship.
In a statement to WFAE, ICE says its agents were conducting a targeted operation to arrest Ricardo Portillo Guzman, Atilio’s brother and a passenger in the car. The agency says Guzman is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who first entered the United States illegally in 1988.
ICE said its officers are trained to de-escalate and use the minimum force necessary. But videos shot by Portillo and a bystander and obtained by WFAE show an officer draw a handgun and briefly point it toward the truck before holstering it. ICE's statement did not address Portillo’s account of an agent pointing a gun at his face.
At a virtual news conference Friday, Siembra NC said it has documented similar arrests involving U.S. citizens in North Carolina.
“We want answers. This isn’t the first time. Why is this happening?" Siembra NC Defense Manager Andreina Malki said.
State Rep. Jordan Lopez, whose district includes the area, said lawmakers could change state requirements for law enforcement agencies to work with ICE.
“I think that it’s instances like this that further erode the trust that communities have or would like to have with their local law enforcement,” Lopez said.
In a statement to WFAE, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams also called for greater oversight and accountability of ICE. In a statement, she said, “Mr. Portillo and the Charlotte community are owed a full explanation as to why these agents put his life in danger.”
