☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. Uncharted Territory for Immigration Law
2. CBP Expands to Triangle
3. The Prisons Dilemma
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped an immigrant worker Monday in Charlotte. When the man showed agents a photo of his federal employment permit rather than the actual document, they detained him.

The two attorneys at Tedesco Legal, a Charlotte firm that specializes in immigration law, took the man’s case pro bono on a referral from a fellow attorney. Late Tuesday afternoon, Mary Lynn Tedesco and Anna Cushman were still trying to figure out where he’d been taken.

They are among dozens of local immigration attorneys fielding urgent calls, emails, and texts from panicked clients and their relatives, trying to give them the best information and advice they can in an ever-changing environment. Greg Lacour reports from Charlotte on how lawyers are navigating uncharted territory.

Law and Orders

Even for immigration lawyers, navigating the Border Patrol’s opaque operation in N.C. is nearly impossible. For those detained, it can be life-altering: “You can’t un-ring the bell on the harm.”

CBP Operation Expands to Triangle

On Monday night, we broke the news that Customs and Border Protection agents were coming to the Triangle next. Our team in the region has been attempting to separate rumors from reality, and explaining what locals need to know about the operation.

From Durham, reporter Lena Geller captured scenes of panic, paranoia, and solidarity on Tuesday. 

At a strip mall, a Beauty World employee was taking out the trash at around noon when she witnessed federal agents chase and handcuff three people.

“They’re just kind of grabbing people right now,” said co-owner Abraham Kim.

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

The Prisons Dilemma

Leslie Cooley Dismukes, the new secretary of the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections, wants to the state’s prisons to better prepare people for the outside world once they’re released.

She knows it won’t be easy. North Carolina, like many other states, is dealing with a serious shortage of correctional officers that has resulted in the loss of the kind of programs that might help with reentry and avoid recidivism. Across state prisons, an average of 35 percent of positions are vacant; the number is as high as 60 in some facilities.

As Amanda Abrams reports, most prisons don’t have enough staff to cover regular duties inside, let alone think about preparing incarcerated individuals for the outside.

The New Head of N.C.’s Prisons Tries to Unwind a Staffing Quagmire 

Leslie Cooley Dismukes, the new secretary of the state Department of Adult Corrections, wants to prioritize reentry and reduce recidivism. But she has to solve a staffing crisis first.

What We’re Reading

Father Figures: This American Life followed a Raleigh family as its undocumented patriarch weighed whether to return to Mexico or risk an encounter with Trump’s heightened deportation effort.

Bevved Up, Ready to Go: The state’s embattled hemp industry has a perhaps surprising ally: former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. N.C. Newsline reports.

Her Airness: Michael Jordan is giving $10 million to Wilmington’s Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in honor of his mother, per ESPN. The neuroscience institute will now bear Deloris Jordan’s name.

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Our Recent Stories

Fear, Protest, and Preparation As Dozens Are Reportedly Detained in Charlotte

As federal immigration officers descended, the city’s immigrant and activist communities braced for what’s to come.

Avast! Blackbeard Videographer Continues Suit Against N.C.

Rick Allen says the state copied his work without permission or payment. More than a decade later, he’s still trying to get paid.

The Mysterious Power of the Bicycle Time Machine

We started riding bikes as kids. Now, a half-century later, cycling across the state shows why we don’t want to give them up.