Protesters Surround ICE Van in Morrisville

Protesters in Morrisville, North Carolina surrounded an Immigration and Customs Enforcement van to prevent the agency from bringing a man to an immigration appointment on November 23, according to local media.

Samuel Oliver Bruno had been residing in a Durham, North Carolina church in order to avoid deportation after coming to the United States in 2014 to see his wife who was receiving medical treatment. He was apprehended at the border and subsequently released. Local media have reported that his stay of removal was denied in 2017, prompting him to seek sanctuary.

A local activist group, Alerta Migratoria NC, published a call for support from Oliver Bruno on November 21. As a result, protesters were on the scene when immigration officials arrived to take Oliver Bruno to his scheduled immigration appointment.

Videos from Take Action Chapel Hill, another local group, show community members linking arms to prevent an ICE van from driving away, singing “Amazing Grace,” and chanting “Shame!” at police officers and immigration officials.

Oliver Bruno was arrested when he checked in with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the Durham Mayor Pro Tem. At least twenty protesters were also reported as detained after ignoring dispersal orders from police. Credit: Take Action Chapel Hill via Storyful