Immigration special (aka how to report your neighbors to ICE) | LGBTQ+ book recommendations at Wake Co. middle school
No. 109 — Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2025
Red, White, and Green
Promises made, promises kept. The Trump administrations initial foray into enforcing immigration has led to many present to reveal their true colors of red, white, and green, with even third-generation "Mexican-American" celebrity Selena Gomez referring to Mexican illegal immigrants as "my people."
With the American view of assimilation-based immigration, we might expect foreigners wishing to stay to express their love and appreciation for our country and our people.
However, the anti-deportation protesters who have gathered in the past week, from California to Texas to New York to Georgia to here in North Carolina in Charlotte or Raleigh are not flying the flag of the United States of America. Instead, they are primarily flying the flag of Mexico, with a the flags of a few other Latin American countries such as Ecuador and Argentina sprinkled in:
The signs held by these protesters likewise carry the message of entitlement and the ideology of their leftist/antifa allies, such as "No One is Illegal in Stolen Land," "Don't Bite the Hands That Feeds [sic] You," "This County Started with Immigrants Looking for a Better Life," "It's OK to Punch Nazis," or "Deny Defend Depose" (a reference to the assassination of Brian Thompson):
Screenshots from TikTok videos capturing January 29th protest in Raleigh: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Enforcement Multiplier?
The effect of enforcing border legislation will go far beyond the number of illegal immigrants actually arrested or deported; the number of "encounters" at the Southern border reportedly dropped by nearly half from the final days of the Biden administration to the first days of the Trump administration. There have also been unverified reports of public locations frequented by the illegal community being noticeably empty, including in Apex and Durham.
For instance, a TikTok video posted earlier this week shows a Circle K near the intersection of 64 and 55 in Apex, with the Spanish speaking narrator describing that he is on his way home from work, and that the nearly empty parking lot is a result of people being fearful and taking precautions because of "la migración:"
In another recent video, from the Durham Green Flea Market aka "La Pulga," the Spanish-speaking poster writes that in years of coming, it's the fewest people she's ever seen, and that it hurts to see her fellow (Mexican) countrymen in fear, especially those who have children:
From the middle of this week: "ICE is out today in Sanford, North Carolina, no one is driving today" (translations are approximate):
Although I'm not sure if anyone has an accurate estimate of the true number of foreigners illegally present in our nation, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates to me that even the now-elevated rate of Immigration and Customs Enforcement action may not directly put much of a dent in the illegal population.
However, if the fairly-open flaunting of immigration and employment laws under the previous administrations is effectively suppressed, we may see a "multiplier" effect of illegal residents choosing to voluntarily remigrate if they find the economics of tax fraud, welfare, and/or working under the table are no longer a viable option.
ICE (non)cooperation policies at school districts, UNC
‘Families are really scared’: What will Durham public schools do if ICE shows up? - N&O
Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Orange County schools support immigrant families. What they said. - N&O
Here’s what Wake will do if ICE shows up at schools. Will agents be allowed on campuses? - N&O
UNC-Chapel Hill will ‘comply’ if ICE seeks students on campus, chancellor says - N&O
One of the Trump administration's first actions related to immigration was to rescind a DHS policy restricting immigration law from being enforced in "protected areas," which included schools, universities, churches, social services centers, etc. as well as the sites of ongoing demonstrations or rallies. (Although the policy had been updated during the Biden administration, the restrictions date back at least to a 1993 memorandum).
In light of the policy change, the school districts of Wake, Durham, and Orange counties as well as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have put out statements or communications in support of so-called "undocumented" students and their families.
In addition, the Wake County Public School System has issued an "Immigration Enforcement Guidance for School Principals," instructing that immigration officials should only be allowed access to school property with a federal judicial warrant or if a "threat to public safety" exists, and that student records or information may only be shared with immigration officials if "doing so is necessary to protect others from significant risks to their health or safety." The document does note that school officials may not physically resist immigration officials, or affirmatively help illegal "students or parents evade detection by immigration officials."
The districts variously cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a 1974 federal law which protects student information, and Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 Supreme Court case which held that school districts could not charge an extra tuition to students who were present in the country illegally.
Although bound by the same laws, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts indicated an opposite approach, telling a meeting of the UNC’s Faculty Council that the university would "comply with any requests from law enforcement about [identifying illegal immigrant students] or anything else."
ICE tipline
Anyone who has information regarding suspected immigration-related criminal activity can report it to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via an online tip form or the tip line at (866) 347-2423, including suspected violations relating to categories such as "Benefit/Marriage Fraud," "Employment/Exploitation of Unlawful Workers," and "Illegal Immigration."
Although ICE does not promise a monetary reward for tips, it does have "the discretion and statutory authorization to pay for information and/or evidence that is used in support of criminal investigations."
Police: Rapist posing as law enforcement threatened to deport victim
Raleigh man accused of rape while threatening to deport victim, police say - ABC11
Police arrest Raleigh man accused of impersonating ICE officer and sexually assaulting woman - WRAL
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA VS CARL T BENNETT, Jr. (25CR218763-910) - NC eCourts
Raleigh Police have arrest a man who they say raped a woman after telling her that he was a sworn law enforcement officer, threatened to deport her, and displayed a business card with a badge on it.
Carl Thomas Bennett, Jr. of Raleigh is facing six felony and three misdemeanor charges:
Breaking and entering with the intent to terrorize/injure
Felony possession of cocaine
Kidnapping
2nd degree forcible sex offense (2x)
2nd degree forcible rape
Assault on a female
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Impersonating law enforcement
Although media and pro-illegal immigration activists have used the opportunity to link this crime to Trump's immigration agenda, or "pranks" like the parody "Thot Patrol" ICE truck, criminals posing as immigration officials to take advantage of illegal immigrants long predates the Trump administration, including Tommie Rand Pierce, a Raleigh man who plead guilty to posing as an ICE officer in 2011.
Martin Middle School features LGBTQ+ library recommendations
An image shared by the Pavement Education Project shows an apparently student-made "Explore LGBTQ+ Books In Our School Library!" graphic captured at Martin Middle School with a list of 14 titles.
This is the same Leroy Martin Gifted and Talented Magnet Middle School which was the subject of controversy last year when the principal refused a class transfer request by a female 7th grader who felt uncomfortable with a male teacher who had worn a skirt to school and was accused of discussing his homosexual "love life" with students:
