Statement from Buncombe County Commission Chairman Brownie Newman and commissioners Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Ellen Frost and Al Whitesides:
We are aware of the recent ICE activity that began on April 14, 2018. We understand from community reports that the majority of arrests were related to immigration status rather than pending criminal charges. One example of the impact of these raids is that staff of Buncombe County Schools are escorting children home after it was reported that an ICE vehicle was parked at a neighborhood school bus stop.
As Buncombe County Commissioners we want to publicly state, it is our responsibility to treat everyone with the compassion they deserve as human beings, and that we believe that no matter where we were born, we are all people and entitled to the same basic human rights, respect, and due process. Many of the individuals impacted by these arrests are long-standing members of our community.
We want to make clear Buncombe County Government is not participating in the ICE raids.
We also want to recognize that part of the County’s role is to provide supportive services for our community. For more information on our services, please feel free to contact Paulina Mendez, Communication and Community Engagement Coordinator, at (828) 273-8186.
Some County services that might be of help include:
· Economic Services, Phillip Hardin, (828) 250-5592.
· Family Justice Center, (828) 250-6900.
· Justice Resource Center, (828) 250-6402.
You can also access our services online at buncombecounty.org.
Community partners who also provide support are:
· United Way’s NC 211, dial 211.
· WNC Community Health Services, (828) 285-0622.
· Pisgah Legal Services, (828) 253-0406.
· MANNA Foodbank, (828) 299-3663.
An additional support service in our community is Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Accion (CIMA). If you or a loved one have been directly affected by the ICE activity this weekend and need support or if you would like more information on how you can support the impacted families, call the CIMA hotline at 888-839-2839.
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