CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Anger and frustration are being directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement after mother, Maria Cometa-Velasco, was seperated from her 2-year-old.

  • Maria Cometa-Velasco and her teenage son were arrested by ICE at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.
  • Cometa-Velasco entered the country legally in 2016 but did not leave when she was legally supposed to.
  • The immigrant community is worried that fewer immigrants will report crimes due to the fear of being deported.

ICE arrested Cometa-Velasco and her teenage son, both domestic violence victims, while they were inside the Mecklenburg County courthouse.

“After the sheriff election, ICE made a threat to our community,” said Stefanie Arteaga of the organization Comunidad Colectiva. “They said they were going to increase enforcement but what we're telling ICE is we're not letting that happen.”

Maria Cometa-Velasco calls the situation traumatic, but it's not completely unheard of. "To my knowledge, it has not happened since 2006 or 2007, which is why this is particularly troubling," said Cometa-Velasco’s attorney Becca O’Neill who is with the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.

 

 

 Through an interpreter, Cometa-Velasco says she and her 16-year-old son had a hearing July 9 inside the courthouse. They were both allegedly being abused by Cometa-Velasco’s partner, who is also the father of her 2-year-old child.

"We were almost at the elevator when two men dressed in civilan clothing approached us and asked us for our names," she explained. She says it seemed the men were looking for them specifically. "Being handcuffed like a criminal with my son was one of the most humiliating and embarassing experiences I've ever endured," Cometa-Velasco added.

Escorted from the 4th floor and out the front door, "I was leaving my 2-year-old son behind because I wasn't allowed to pick him up at the [courthouse] daycare." She says she and her son were then transported to the Charlotte ICE facility. "Neither one of them have any criminal convictions," Cometa-Velasco’s attorney Becca O’Neill added.

A courthouse spokeswoman said "no comment" when we asked if ICE is now enforcing immigration laws inside. "We can't prove how immigration found out,” O’Neill said. “We believe it was a tip by a bad actor. Somebody who knew her."

Domestic violence advocates have a theory. "Survivors often share stories of perpetrators who threaten to have them jailed or deported if they seek help," said a representative from SAFE Alliance.

But immigration activists believe a greater power is in control. "This has occured in other places in the country and they are trying to target individuals to intimidate," Stefanie Arteaga said. Her group, Comunidad Colectiva is calling on local elected leaders to stop a practice they say sows panic, fear, and seperation. "How terrible it is that our immigrant community members cannot even go to court without fear of being placed in removal proceedings," O’Neill said.

ICE says Cometa-Velasco was picked up due to misdemeanor criminal charges against her. But her attorney says those were bogus allegations leveled by her abuser as retaliation. We're told the district attorney was going to drop those charges but ICE got to her and her son first.

According to ICE, Cometa-Velasco came to the United States legally in 2016, but didn't leave when she was supposed to. Detaining her now starts removal proceedings.

The Mecklenburg County District Attorney released a statement about the whole ordeal:

“I will not comment on any cases that are pending. Any policy that seeks to place domestic violence victims into custody clearly frustrates our ability to keep them safe.”

Here is the statement we received from ICE:

Unlawfully present Colombian national Maria Cometa-Velasco was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement July 9 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, during a targeted enforcement action following her court appearance as the defendant on misdemeanor criminal charges in Mecklenburg County. ICE briefly detained Ms. Cometa-Velesco to serve her with paperwork placing her into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts and then released her on her own recognizance that same day after transporting her back to the courthouse.

Ms. Cometa-Velasco legally entered the U.S. in August 2016; however, she subsequently failed to depart the country as required under the terms of her admission and she has been unlawfully present since the expiration of her visa in November 2016. A federal immigration judge will now decide her case.

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