RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — As of Thursday, immigration officials say so far there were over 370 detentions in the past five days of Operation Charlotte’s Web.
While the efforts seem to have shifted away from the Triangle, for many in the community, the lingering fears and the impacts on mental health are going to be there for a long time.
“It very much feels like people are being hunted by their ethnicity and the color of their skin,” says Flor Herrera-Picasso from Casa Azul de Wilson.
From Charlotte to Raleigh the fears over ICE crackdowns being felt across the state.
“And it feels very dystopian to be in 2025, with this big sense of just having no certainty that you’re safe and you can conduct your usual life duties,” she says.
Herrera-Picasso says she’s worried fears over the ICE raids are becoming a barrier in the classroom.
“I can’t even quantify the trauma that this is going to create in the students, in the families and in communities as a whole,” she says.
From Wake County to further down east, many students have been absent from school this past week.
Wake County’s superintendent has said they are understanding of students who decided to stay home because of fear over the ICE situation, and those days would be considered excused absences.
Yesenia Cuello works with farm workers and immigrants in Lenoir County and says mental health right now is becoming as a much of an issue for students as food insecurity.
“One of the things that we know for sure is that, you know, a hungry child can’t learn and that child is wondering where the next meal is coming from. And the same thing comes with safety. You know, that child is worried about, you know, their parents or their family members or their friends. And they’re probably not focused on that information that people just trying to deliver. They’re worried for their life and the life of their loved ones,” Cuello says.
And until more people feel safe to go to church, work, or school – some arguing it’s important for friends and neighbors to step up.
“I think some of the other resources that we’re seeing, especially around means of mutual aid, is people helping each other and asking that question. You know, do you need me to do a grocery run for you to make sure that you and your family have food to eat? Do you need me to help pick up your child from school? Because there’s fear that, you know, God forbid somebody is going to go pick up their child from school and they don’t make it there or they don’t make it back,” she says.
And religious groups are also stepping up.
Today the Roman Catholic Bishop of Raleigh, Luis Zarama issued a statement in support of immigration in the wake of the ICE crackdowns, saying in part, “to our immigrant sisters and brothers: you are not alone. We see your fear and suffering, and we stand with you in solidarity.”
He also went on to tell Raleigh Catholics because of the situation, it is ok for them not to attend Mass if they don’t feel safe.
Copyright © 2025 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
link