CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The N.C. Council of Churches is voicing concerns after the organization said armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were reportedly at a Charlotte church on May 20.

What You Need To Know

  • The N.C. Council of Churches voices concerns about ICE activity at a Charlotte church last week

  • The council's executive director, Jennifer Copeland, said it happened during preschool pickup and ended in no detentions

  • Copeland said Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on sacred grounds interferes with their mission 

  • A Department of Homeland Security directive issued earlier this year allows agents to take enforcement actions in sensitive areas, including schools and churches 

Representatives from the Carolina Migrant Network and the Latin American Coalition joined members of the council during a press conference Wednesday. 

According to the council's executive director, Jennifer Copeland, ICE agents staged an operation at one of the group's churches during preschool pickup. While no one was detained, she said the actions had a chilling effect.

“It created fear among the staff and the children, the families, the congregants. And here's the thing — it wasn't just in that place. That fear was instilled, but sacred places all across North Carolina now worry, can that happen to us?” Copeland said.

Copeland didn’t share the name of the church where the incident reportedly happened last week. 

However, the Carolina Migrant Network, a group that provides free legal services to people in immigration removal procedures, said it happened at Central United Methodist Church in East Charlotte. 

Copeland said if ICE needs a staging ground, agents should do it somewhere else.

“ICE enforcement activity on sacred property interferes with the Christian call to welcome the stranger, serve our neighbors and carry out the ministries that are central to our faith,” Copeland said.

The N.C. Council of Churches is made up of members with more than 6,200 congregations throughout the state across a variety of denominations, according to the organization's website. It has a focus on social issues, including environmental justice, health and welfare and immigrants’ rights. 

While Copeland is not leading a church due to her role with the Council of Churches, she said if she were leading a congregation, she would tell ICE agents to leave if they were on property. 

However, a Department of Homeland Security directive issued in January allows ICE agents to take enforcement actions in sensitive areas, including churches and schools. 

A DHS spokesperson said at the time that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.” 

Some religious groups have sued the administration about this policy. 

In the Charlotte area, the arrest of a parent near an East Charlotte school on May 12 caused concern for the school community. 

The Carolina Migrant Network said it received more than 133 calls to its hotline in May. In addition, the group said it has been in contact with the families of 30 undocumented people detained by ICE in the Charlotte area this month.