In the parking lot of the Hilton Raleigh North Hills on Thursday morning, I spotted a white Nissan Altima and a silver Chevrolet Equinox, a red Ford Bronco and a blue Hyundai Sonata. I saw bumper stickers on some cars, indicating they were owned by UNC-Chapel Hill alumni. A few vehicles had Virginia vanity plates. But I did not find what a Bull City Reddit post sent me looking for: rows of unmarked, dark-tinted SUVs supposedly belonging to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers.
After Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell announced Monday that Customs and Border Patrol agents were coming to town, many people in the Triangle are on the lookout for federal agents. Some parents are keeping their children home from school out of fear. Various restaurants, too, have temporarily closed due to unexpected staff shortages. The Raleigh-Durham enforcement follows a large-scale operation in Charlotte last weekend, when agents made more than 130 arrests within two days, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As a way to show opposition, some Reddit posts listed hotels that supposedly are hosting ICE agents. The comment section banded together in solidarity: “Sending athlete’s foot their way, the one that no treatment can be found for,” wrote user im_not_into_this.
“With a side of crabs,” added ChipsAhoy65. Some Durhamites proposed popping tires and creating a ruckus outside the hotels.
On another thread, one user recommended using dating apps to identify ICE agents’ faces. I tried one, but after a few hours of swiping — with my location pinned at rumored ICE hotels — I found no fellas whose profiles listed “ICE Agent” as a profession.
Durham Democratic Sen. Sophia Chitlik advised reporting activity to Siembra NC’s hotline service — “not reposting information through the rumor mill,” she said. “I understand the desire to do that because rapid response can keep people safe, but rumors do not keep people safe,” Chitlik said.
In fact, “ICE” appears to be used as a catch-all term for federal immigration agents, often used interchangeably with U.S. Border Patrol, especially by people who oppose the Trump administration’s policies.
Border Patrol is the group that has been active in the Triangle, according to Chitlik. “There have been amazing advocates and organizers who know how to handle these situations, and so when we post unverified information online, it creates panic,” she said. “And it makes the job of the people who are working to keep our communities safe harder. And it stokes a lot of fear.”
Thursday morning, foot traffic at the Raleigh Hilton was modest. A woman vacuumed the carpet in the hotel’s entryway. I scanned the lobby to find guys in head-to-toe camo, bulletproof vests and face coverings — as the Reddit posts seemed to consider possible. But most people wore loungewear.
Maybe they were in the restaurant? I half-expected to catch ICE agents carb-loading before a long day of arrests ahead.
No, just groggy guests shuffling through a $21 breakfast buffet, picking over scrambled eggs and watery grits. A middle island offered dry cereals and juices — presumably Tropicana.
I continued the game of ICE-and-go-seek at the hotel’s Starbucks cafe. No sign there, either. Televisions aired ESPN and businessmen plunked away on keyboards. Raleigh-Durham International Airport was 15 miles away. A Best Hire Career Fairs breakfast event was held in the Hilton’s “Salon ABC,” the only meeting listed on the hotel’s agenda.
Or maybe the agents had already left. Late Wednesday night, Cowell posted on X, “Border patrol enforcement appears to have been suspended in Raleigh, NC at this time.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The 9th Street Journal’s inquiry about the purpose of immigration enforcement activity in the Triangle.
Three hotel employees manned the front desks, collecting room keys as guests checked out. One declined to answer if federal agents were staying at the hotel. Another admitted to searching the parking lot herself for suspicious vehicles. “I just follow all the stuff on TikTok,” she said. The employee didn’t find ICE.
Above, snapshots of the Hilton at North Hills. Breakfast bar from Hilton.com; others by Gabrielle Lazor – The 9th Street Journal
