CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A South Charlotte woman documenting interactions with Border Patrol says agent attempted to intimidate her out of recording the operation.
Abigail Pepper says sheβs volunteering as part of a group that has been trained to observe immigration enforcement agents.
βWe can follow the agents and that is perfectly within our rights to continue to observe ICE activity. As long as we are maintaining a safe distance the entire time,β Pepper said.
Pepper shared dash camera video showing how she trailed agents for 45 minutes Tuesday afternoon before they led her back to her house and told her to go home.
βI think that was clearly an intimidation tactic. The message was, βwe know where you live,β Pepper said. βAll I was doing was exercising my legal right to observe ice activity from public roads.β
Border Patrol has arrested more than 250 people in four days. When they aren’t working protesters say they stay in hotels like the Hilton in University City where a group chanted and held signs Wednesday evening.
βThe majority of us do not support this type of racist, immoral behavior,β Emma Biggs, organizer for the Poor Peopleβs Campaign said. βItβs immoral what they’re doing to our families and we don’t support this.β
The group of protesters say videos showing the interactions between the community and border patrol are disturbing. They say the longer agents stay the more damage they’ll do.
βNothing justifies picking up people off the street for the color of their skin or where they think they’re from, that is never okay,β Biggs said.
Poor Peopleβs Campaign is planning another protest at the Hilton Thursday at 5pm. Border Patrol agents have not confirmed a departure date, but reports say they will leave by the end of the week.
