Arrests, deportations, and the agonizing uncertainty of not knowing where their loved ones are have become the grim reality for some Latino families following an increase in immigration enforcement operations. This is the case for one Charlotte family; within a five month span, two of its members were arrested by immigration agents, and one of them later died.
“I’m terrified they will deport us or send us to a jail where one of us will end up dying,” said Mariana, a mother whose name was changed to protect her identity.
In November 2025, a relative was detained during the immigration sweep known as "Operation Charlotte’s Web." He was deported in April and died just three days later, according to Mariana, due to the severe deterioration of his health while detained at Alligator Alcatraz, the controversial immigration jail located in Florida. A few weeks later, in April 2026, her nephew was also detained. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Detained During Operation Charlotte’s Web
Mariana has lived in North Carolina for more than 25 years. Since arriving from Mexico, she has worked in construction and residential cleaning.
She affirms that, like many immigrant families, she put down roots in this country hoping to build a future for her loved ones. Over the years, other relatives also established themselves here, including a nephew and his cousin. Both worked in construction. The daily routine for her nephew's cousin changed abruptly one morning in November 2025 during North Carolina’s largest immigration sweep, at a gas station located between Sharon Amity and Central Ave. in the city's east side.
“They got out of the car to grab a coffee before heading to their construction job, and they were grabbed. Their cars were just left abandoned there, and they were taken to the jail in Charlotte. After that, we didn't know where they were taking them,” Mariana described.
Alligator Alcatraz: “They Said They Weren’t Allowed to Drink Water”
She added that when they finally received information regarding her relative's whereabouts, she learned they had been sent to the Florida Soft-Sided Facility South—notoriously dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” due to its remote location surrounded by alligators. They remained there for nearly seven months.
From a distance, Mariana listened to the phone calls between her nephew, his cousin, and the friend with whom he was detained in Charlotte. They recounted the conditions they faced inside the facility.
“They said they weren't allowed to drink water, they weren't allowed to brush their teeth. They wouldn't let them bathe, they abused them, and they kept them in boxes as if they were already dead. Sometimes they wouldn't feed them, and when they did, they gave them food with maggots”, she recounted.
Immigration Jail Closes Amid Pressure and Criticism
Alligator Alcatraz was closed on June 25 of this year due to legal and logistical pressure. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the closure was due to high operating costs and that the facility had always been intended as a temporary measure. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an official statement attributing the closure to logistical safety concerns ahead of the hurricane season, explaining that the facility's infrastructure consisted of massive tents.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Justice for Immigrants organization denounced unsafe conditions and a lack of access to legal counsel for the detainees.
“The fact that this site ever existed is a travesty, given the cruelty behind it, horrific conditions, and blatant violations of due process”, said Carmen Iguina González, deputy director of immigrant detention at the ACLU.
Describing the conditions, advocates noted that the facility consisted of “cages inside tents” due to severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and the collapse of temporary septic tanks, which forced immigrants to live alongside raw sewage and fecal waste on the dormitory floors.
Furthermore, the organization reported testimonies from detainees claiming that the food rations provided to inmates were frequently infested with maggots, larvae, and insects native to the swampy ecosystem.
Deportation, death, and a new arrest
Mariana says that when her nephew's cousin and his friend were finally deported to Mexico, the family believed the worst was over. It wasn't. One of them, a father of four, died just three days after being deported.
“He died because he arrived severely dehydrated. Thank God they fought for him before he passed, because he used to say he was going to die there in that jail. They were already in very poor health when they were taken away,” she stated.
This was not the only immigration detention the family endured. Weeks after that death in April of this year, her nephew was detained by immigration agents in Charlotte. Since then, his whereabouts are unknown. The scant information she has managed to gather through sporadic phone calls is that he refused to sign a self-deportation order.
“According to them, they were going to fight their cases because they aren't criminals. They don't have a bad record either, and they would say: ‘We have the upper hand because we aren't bad people, we just came to work for our families’”, she said.
“We are not criminals”
Today, besides facing a slowdown in construction work that has severely impacted her household economy, Mariana carries a constant fear: that she and another family member might be detained by immigration agents.
“We are not criminals. We came to work in this country; we came with a dream. In my country, I have nothing. I don’t have a house, and even if I wanted to leave, I have nowhere to go... I’m terrified they will deport us and send us to a jail where one of us will die. Because one has never been locked up like an animal,” she concluded.