ICE responds to viral video between agents and two men from Salisbury

SALISBURY, NC — From Minnesota to Charlotte, tension seems to be growing.

“Two of my children are adopted, brown, I’m worried about them,” said Jacci Brown, a Fort Mill resident.

Protesters met in uptown Thursday evening, one day after the death of Renee Good in Minnesota.

“I’m out here to hopefully make a change, not just for myself, but for the future,” said Charlotte resident, Armando Gutierrez.

Gutierrez is especially worried for his family’s safety after this encounter his cousins had with ice agents on Monday.

“I think that was the final straw for me to actually stand up and at least make my voice heard,” said Gutierrez.

A video of Edwin Godinez and Yair Alexander Napoles, two U.S. citizens, has been viewed millions of times on social media this week.

It starts with one of the men asking the agent if he can record for his own safety. The agent says yes and proceeds to put his mask on. two minutes later it escalates to the agent tapping the car and the interaction escalates quickly as the two men continue to recording.

“The way in which they’re operating is increasingly forceful, increasingly violent and increasingly lawless,” said Andreina Malki with Siembra NC.

Malki said she’s not shocked by the agents aggressive behavior. Calling it a trend both locally and nationally.

“I think the recording, their actions to keep them accountable is one of our best tools because I think they thrive in conditions where there’s no witnesses,” Malki explained.

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson tells WCCB:
“Officers briefly questioned the individuals in the car. They refused to follow law enforcement commands including officers’ concerns about keeping their hands visible.
Once officers discovered the target was not in the car and these individuals were U.S.
citizens they were allowed to leave the scene.”