STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Let's turn to a lifelong resident of Mecklenburg County. George Dunlap sits on the county board of commissioners and is also a law enforcement and military veteran. Good morning.
GEORGE DUNLAP: Good morning. How are you?
INSKEEP: I'm OK. Thank you for joining us early. What is the immigrant community in Charlotte like? How diverse is the city?
DUNLAP: Well, the city is very diverse. In fact, it is a majority and minority community. When you add the immigrant community and the African American community, it makes up the majority of the city.
INSKEEP: And we just heard from Nick de la Canal of immigrant shopping centers, which I can picture. I mean, a shopping center where immigrants are commonly there and then that the parking lots are empty. What are you hearing from that community?
DUNLAP: Well, there's a lot of concern because people don't know what to anticipate. They don't know what to expect. And of course, they're on edge. As a result of that, you have kids staying home from school. You have people who are not going to work. It's just - people are on pins and needles.
INSKEEP: And just so I understand where people come from, I mean, do you have an idea of some of the countries that you would find a large community from in your city?
DUNLAP: Well, most, I think, are Hispanic, so they come from places like Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, you name it. They come from everywhere.
INSKEEP: What is the level of local law enforcement cooperation generally with ICE - Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
DUNLAP: I don't really think there's any cooperation. I think more than anything, local law enforcement is getting out of their way. I think we recognize that they have law enforcement powers, law enforcement duties, and nobody wants to interfere with that. I think the biggest concern is that the way they carry out their actions is done in such a way that it intimidates people. It is overpowering. It gives law enforcement in general a bad name.
INSKEEP: I was just looking at a list of American cities according to their crime rates, and Charlotte, Mecklenburg - it ain't so high. You're 128th on this list, and so - I mean, I'm sure there's crime in Charlotte, but you don't seem that high-crime. How do you feel about the crime rate and the general public safety situation there?
DUNLAP: Well, everybody has crime, and crime can be seasonal. It can change with the season. It is also crimes of passion, things that you can't control no matter where you are in the city. But I agree that in terms of overall crime, we have nowhere the crime that lots of other cities. And if the focus is on crime, then there are other cities where the use of ICE or Border Patrols could be better utilized.
INSKEEP: Why do you suppose, then, that Charlotte would be chosen for the next city to target, after Los Angeles and Chicago and some others?
DUNLAP: Well, if you look at the pattern, it appears that it's based solely on the political makeup of the community and nothing else. Because a lot of Democrats do hold a significant amount of power in terms of politics, then I think that became the focus. But, you know, I think the American public really ought to be upset at the fact that we're spending taxpayer dollars for Border Patrol. There are no borders in Mecklenburg County. So maybe they asked for a bunch of money and they really don't need it, so now they're looking for something to use the money for. And so they have all these Border Patrols going throughout the country and intimidating and terrorizing communities that, for the most part, are safe, and people get along.
INSKEEP: If you got a call from the president of the United States, and he said - listen. I do have these resources. I'm sending them there. Tell me what is needed to be done - is there any advice you would give the president about what to do or not to do?
DUNLAP: You know, in all fairness, you'd have to say, if you did what you told the American public you were going to do, people probably would not be concerned. If you focused on the most violent criminals in our community who were not supposed to be here in the first place, people probably wouldn't question that. But they're coming like - what's in the bag? - just shaking things up. That's unfair. Breaking up communities and breaking up families for no apparent reason other than to demonstrate that you have power and control is not a good look.
INSKEEP: George Dunlap sits on the board of commissioners in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which includes the city of Charlotte. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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