Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 18 to include additional information from Fort Bragg.
Activists and family members are calling for clarity and transparency from military and federal officials after at least 11 people were detained at eastern North Carolina bases and later turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
During a virtual press conference Tuesday, Siembra NC said it learned of the detentions after family members called its hotline seeking help.
The organization said the pattern raises questions about military authority, coordination with ICE, and the lack of clear public guidance for civilians who inadvertently approach base checkpoints. Siembra NC advocates against abusive employers, discriminatory housing practices, and the criminalization of Latino communities.
At least eight of the 11 known cases that the group has tracked since November occurred at Fort Bragg checkpoints, Siembra NC said. Six of the cases took place at the Chicken Road Access Control Point.
“These cases are deeply concerning because many of the people detained were simply trying to get to work or complete deliveries when GPS directed them onto unfamiliar roads,” said Andreina Malki, Defense Manager at Siembra NC.
“Drivers may not realize they are approaching a military checkpoint until it is too late to turn around. What we are seeing is people entering these areas by mistake and then being transferred to immigration authorities or detained at the base until ICE arrives,” Malki said.
A Wrong Turn and a Family Searching for Answers
One of the most recent cases involves Luis Alonso Delgadillo Perez, a 44-year-old Chapel Hill resident originally from Mexico who has lived in the United States for 26 years. On March 2, Delgadillo Perez was driving home from work installing flooring when GPS directed him onto a road leading to Linden Oaks, a Fort Bragg family housing community.
According to his family, he drove to a checkpoint, where military personnel questioned him about his Social Security number and identification. He was detained, transferred through several detention facilities, and is now being held at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. The South Georgia facility has a checkered history of alleged medical abuse.
Credit: Courtesy of Siemba NC
Relatives said he has complex health issues and hasn’t had access to his medications while in ICE custody.
“He has been contributing to this country for 26 years as a good community member and a good resident of North Carolina,” Malki said.
Two of Delgadillo Perez’s cousins spoke during the press conference on Tuesday.
Samuel Reyes de Luna said he was alarmed by how quickly officers asked for a Social Security number rather than a driver’s license.
“My whole community is asking about Alonso, about where he is, about what happened. We’re all concerned. And so here I’m using my voice to try to figure out what’s happening and what’s going on in the situation,” Reyes de Luna said.
“I am seeing that the Hispanic Latino community is being targeted,” he added.
Another cousin, Mari, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said she was on the phone with Delgadillo Perez during the encounter. She said officers repeatedly pressed him for a Social Security number and questioned his immigration status. They later told him he had a warrant for his arrest, which the family later learned was related to his immigration status, not a criminal charge.
When Mari arrived to retrieve his car, she said officers also pressured her for her Social Security number despite her having a REAL ID, which requires stricter documentation checks than a standard ID. “Because I am Latino,” she said. “What’s happening is an injustice.”
CityView emailed Fort Bragg a detailed list of questions on Monday seeking confirmation of the reported detentions and clarification of how the base handles civilians who mistakenly approach an access gate. The questions also sought more information about what guards are instructed to ask, when civilians may be detained, and whether Fort Bragg coordinates with federal immigration authorities.
April Olsen, a public information officer for Fort Bragg, did not address specific questions. “Because of operational security, we don’t talk about procedures at the gate,” Olsen said.
In a follow-up statement, Olsen described Fort Bragg’s general access‑control practices.
“To ensure the safety of our community, all individuals undergo routine identity verification at our installation access points. These are standard, long-standing access-control procedures,” she wrote. “Should the vetting process reveal a legal violation, the matter is referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for disposition. The role of our security personnel is limited to enforcing installation access control. They do not conduct civilian law enforcement activities.”
A CityView reporter has twice accidentally approached Fort Bragg gates within the past six months while following GPS directions—once being asked for a drivers license, and another time allowed to turn around without being asked for anything. In both instances, the reporter was not detained.
A Pattern Across Multiple Bases
Siembra NC said the 11 known detentions occurred at or near several installations, including: Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point in Brunswick County.
The organization described a range of circumstances in the detentions:
- A mother of five.
- Two members of the same family detained while visiting an active duty family member on base on Thanksgiving.
- A father driving home from a concert with his family.
- Workers making food deliveries on base.
- Individuals with pending asylum cases or valid work authorization.
In one case, Siembra said the situation was resolved only after the detained person’s son—an active-duty service member—intervened, which the group cited as evidence of inconsistent outcomes.
Two of the detentions occurred when minors were present.
Siembra NC has not released names or identifying details for most of the individuals, saying families are still deciding whether to go public.
Calls for Federal Oversight
Prior to November, Malki said that the organization had not received a hotline report about detentions at military checkpoints.. It is unclear, she said, whether the increase reflects a change in military policy or simply greater awareness of the hotline.
Siembra NC was founded in 2017.
“The lack of clarity—that this is not a transparent process that the public is aware of—is troubling,” she said. “We’re also unsure about the legality of military officers detaining someone who does not have an arrest warrant.”
She also drew parallels to past racial profiling concerns, including U.S. Border Patrol operations in North Carolina. “Racial profiling, as we saw with Border patrol’s presence in North Carolina and other similar operations, is not an unfamiliar tactic,” she said.
Siembra NC is urging residents in eastern North Carolina to use caution when driving near military installations, especially when following GPS directions through unfamiliar areas.
The group is also calling on North Carolina’s congressional delegation to request information from the Department of Defense about:
- Authorization to detain civilians who enter military areas by mistake.
- Coordination protocols with ICE.
- Safeguards to prevent accidental entry from resulting in immigration detention.
The organization emphasized what it described as a “lack of transparency” around how these detentions occur and how quickly ICE becomes involved.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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