Afternoon proceedings at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse came to a sudden halt Tuesday when four people were taken into custody by federal immigration agents while they waited for their scheduled hearings. The surprise operation briefly scrambled the court calendar and sent defense attorneys spilling out onto the sidewalk to confront agents, as county and federal officials later offered sharply different versions of what happened.
According to WSOC, the four people taken into ICE custody were identified as Elder Andrade Nascimento, Gerson Molina, Nestor Ponce Rivas and Alfredo Xocua-Xitlama. Each was due in court when agents moved in for the arrests. A review of online court records shows that none of the four had active immigration detainers at the time. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 9 that ICE agents threatened to arrest three attorneys who tried to step in, and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday’s arrests disrupted that day’s hearings. The office added that "Criminal cases are able to proceed when the accused is present to face the charges against them in open court," but said it was too early to say whether specific prosecutions would be able to move forward.
Federal Policy Shift Opened Door To Courthouse Operations
The courthouse arrests follow a 2025 reset of federal policy that lifted earlier limits on enforcement at certain "sensitive" locations and explicitly authorized some targeted operations in and around courthouses. ICE's May 27, 2025 directive, titled "Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions In or Near Courthouses," spells out when and how officers may conduct civil immigration enforcement at or near court facilities, including guidance on steering clear of certain non-criminal matters, according to ICE. Separate national reporting has tracked similar courthouse arrests in multiple states and noted warnings that the practice can discourage witnesses and victims from participating in the justice system, as reported by CNN.
Charlotte’s Long-Running Clash Over Courthouse Arrests
Charlotte has already seen this play out once this year. In April 2025, ICE agents arrested people outside the same Mecklenburg County Courthouse in an operation Sheriff Garry McFadden said he personally witnessed, a move that sparked a public dust-up over advance notice and safety for people coming to court, according to WBTV. Those earlier arrests helped fuel ongoing tension between the sheriff’s office and federal immigration officials and prompted McFadden to push for clearer coordination and notification around future courthouse operations, as covered by Axios.
Advocates Warn Of Chilling Effect On Court Access
Immigration lawyers and advocates argue that courthouse arrests like Tuesday’s do more than derail individual cases. They say the very possibility of being picked up at court can scare people away from appearing for everything from traffic tickets to domestic violence hearings, which in turn can weaken prosecutions and leave victims less protected. That pattern has been documented nationally by CNN, and local organizers and reporters have echoed concerns that stepped-up enforcement in Charlotte is increasing fear around showing up at court or other public institutions, with ripple effects for access to justice.
Channel 9 reported that it reached out to ICE for comment and did not immediately receive a response, according to WSOC. Court dockets and immigration records are expected to reflect the arrests as the related criminal and civil immigration proceedings unfold in the days ahead.
