U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 200 people around North Carolina in early February. And according to new reporting, this action had a noticeable impact on local commerce in western North Carolina.
A flea market in Fletcher named Smiley鈥檚 is a Sunday tradition for many in Henderson County, and after the raids, Latinx shoppers and venders were noticeably missing. Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter and Morning Edition host visited the flea market, an unlikely mix of western North Carolina with Central America at which people sell tools and hardware alongside stands of tamales and quincea帽era dresses.
Herrington joins host Frank Stasio to share her reporting. She also talks about her interview with about the county鈥檚 relationship with ICE. Henderson County is among a handful of counties in the state that still participates in , an agreement that allows local law enforcement officials to partner with immigration agents. Griffin shared his take on the status of the agreement and the factors he is weighing as he considers whether to renew the partnership.
Stasio also talks to about the Latinx population in western North Carolina. Arriaga is an assistant professor of sociology at who studies the relationship between ICE and various agencies in the state. She shares her analysis of how the immigrant population in western North Carolina is responding to the 鈥渘ew normal鈥� of increased ICE visibility.
