Americans celebrated Thanksgiving on November 27, 2025, amid growing political turmoil nationwide. While some people marked the occasion by celebrating with loved ones, others were isolated, heartbroken, and separated from their families.
The Wendell family is facing a difficult holiday after immigration authorities detained 23-year-old Fatima Issela Velazquez-Antonio, and she is now being held hundreds of miles away in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I feel terrible. I feel broken inside,” says Velazquez’s boyfriend, Bryan Sanchez. “Without her, the house feels empty. I feel alone without her at home. I just want her back with me and with our family,” he adds.
Fatima was at work last week in Raleigh, North Carolina, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took her into custody. As she was being detained, a friend asked if she remembered Bryan’s phone number in case her phone was seized. Her family had no way to track her for days. They eventually learned she was being held in Georgia.
The 23-year-old who lost both her parents came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor from Honduras at age 14. She graduated from high school in Johnston County and had work authorization while her asylum case was pending. A heartbroken Bryan says that he will do anything to get her back. “She’s my everything,” he added.
NC woman detained while at work in Raleigh moved to Georgia facility to await hearing https://t.co/vZOTKfo0wI
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) November 22, 2025
According to ABC11, Fatima had recently purchased a home, and Bryan says he had been saving to propose to her. Instead, he had to redirect that money to hire an attorney to fight for her release.
“I told her, ‘Baby, everything will be fine. Keep your mind at peace, your heart at peace. Don’t get frustrated. I know this is a tough situation, but I will do my best to get you back home,” Bryan says.
As Fatima’s family misses her on Thanksgiving, ringing in the moment without her, her boyfriend is the one who has been the most affected. “People know her. They know she’s a good woman who works hard for her dreams. I feel thankful for those who care about me and care about her,” Bryan says.
Fatima’s case has attracted attention from local and federal leaders, including Congresswoman Deborah Ross’ office, which plans to hold a rally on November 29 in Wendell, pressuring the Trump administration for her release.
Fatima and her loved ones are the people who have suffered immensely under the abrupt arrests by ICE agents under the “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” which targeted Charlotte, Raleigh, and nearby areas. Hundreds of arrests have already been made statewide, creating uncertainty for many people.
What began as a crackdown to arrest illegal immigrants and criminals has become an operation of fear and uncertainty marked by alleged abuse, detentions, and arrests, resulting in devastating fallout for families. While the administration claims that these operations are being carried out to reduce rising crime rates across America, critics are fuming over the way the entire operation is being carried out.
Several news outlets have criticized Trump’s claims about the crime rates as inaccurate and asserted that he is behaving like an alleged fascist. Offices, restaurants, and other business establishments in the small towns of Raleigh and Charlotte have been temporarily shut in fear of ICE agents and their brutal crackdown tactics.
At a Raleigh City Council meeting, Mayor Janet Cowell confirmed “verified sightings” of Border Patrol agents operating in Wake County and nearby Durham County.
Raleigh, known as the “City of Oaks,” is typically a relaxed city with a strong sense of community and a diverse population. People are distraught with the ICE raids and have come forward to narrate some scary cases of arrests.
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As per sources, Willy Aceituno, a 46-year-old Honduran-born U.S. citizen, told The Associated Press that he encountered a chaotic scene on his way to work. Aceituno said he was stopped twice by Border Patrol officers. During the second stop, agents broke his car window, forced him from the vehicle, and threw him to the ground.
“I told them, ‘I’m an American citizen,’” Aceituno said. “They wanted to know where I was born, or they didn’t believe I was an American citizen.” He was released after showing documents proving his citizenship. Yet, he had to walk back to his car and later filed a police report for the damaged vehicle.
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