Immigrants still sleeping outside Charlotte DHS office for mandatory check-in appointments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Immigrants line up outside the Charlotte Department of Homeland Security office on Tyvola Centre Drive in freezing temperatures for their mandatory immigration check-ins. WCCB first reported on this issue last month.

Although immigrants are assigned appointments, the appointments are running behind schedule. Some people WCCB spoke to say they had been waiting since 8:00am appointment for an appointment and by 4pm when the office had closed they still had not been seen.

The office does not take walk-ins, but because of the volume of people immigrants show up early or stay late even overnight to try to be first in line when the doors open to comply with the immigration appointments.

One man drove from Asheville early in the morning to camp out in front of the Charlotte office. He says people create their own system to try to get people in for mandatory appointments.

“I have a list because, you know, we’re trying to do this very organized,” Kevin Gomez said. “I have like 45 to 50 people [here overnight], but we have like maybe 30 more people, you know, getting by 6 a.m.-7 a.m.”

Some people are braving the weather and desperate to comply with immigration appointments because they fear that failign to show up could result in detention or deportation.

WCCB asked the Department of Homeland Security for a statement about people camping outside of the Charlotte DHS office. A regional spokesman for the agency replied, “Long lines outside the facility are a direct reflection of misinformation and lies shared throughout the illegal alien and activist community, but there are clear alternatives available, including contacting the non-detained unit duty email, working through legal counsel, or using posted QR codes to resolve many issues without seeing an officer.”

While WCCB visited the office Tuesday, a woman outside told us her husband had been detained during his immigration check-in appointment. He was scheduled to be taken by bus to a facility outside of Atlanta, Georgia where he would eventually see a judge. It was unclear when she would be able to speak to him again.

“To avoid situations like this, illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,” the regional spokesman for DHS said.

Kimberly Owens, Charlotte City Councilwoman representing District 6 says she’s disturbed to hear DHS encouraging people to self deport.

“That is is not humanity to me. That is absolutely treating people worse than than. I think anyone could expect the United States to do to people who want to come here and want to add to our society,” Owens said. “I don’t want to lose that talent. There’s a lot of really talented and amazing folks who want to come here to the United States and bring their talents. I’d like to see that continue to happen. If we ask them to show up, we need to be open so that we can accommodate them.”

A woman from Venezuela waited outside of the office two days before her appointment time on Monday. She took the week off work for the check in because she said her friend also endured long lines for their check-in last month. She spoke to us through a translator app.

“I’m alone with my son here right now. I’m going to last a week without working just to be here. But because I want to do the right things now. They don’t want to accept things. We can’t do anything,” the woman said. “I passed through seven countries to get here and the jungle. I think that we migrants leave our families, our countries, to come here, to be humiliated as they are humiliating us.”

Although immigration attorneys advise against sleeping outside the office, the fear of being detained or deported makes people desperate enough to brave the conditions with no bed or no bathrooms.

“We have to come like, 24 hours prior to the appointment, because this is going to happen. It’s too many people and it’s collapsing,”Kevin Gomez, Immigrant said.