On July 26, federal immigration agents teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service and the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office to carry out an immigration raid inside Pisgah National Forest, at Wilson Creek, a spot Latino families have long treated as a favorite summer gathering place. Thirteen people were arrested, and witnesses described parents crossing the water with their children and hiding behind trees and boulders to avoid agents, turning an afternoon at the creek into a scene of panic.

This appears to be the first time ICE has partnered with the Forest Service this way in North Carolina. The Forest Service exists to protect and steward public land and keep visitors safe, not to help carry out immigration enforcement that sends families fleeing into the river with their kids.

The government hasn't released the names of everyone detained, so the public can't confirm ICE's claim that those arrested had criminal records. What has been confirmed tells a different story: of four verified detainees, two had pending residency paperwork or green cards, and one is an asylum seeker already in the system. They're now held in Georgia, far from their families.

More than 100 people gathered afterward at a nearby church for a prayer vigil. According to NC Local, Wuendy Rosales, whose nephew was among those detained, said plainly: "My nephew is not a criminal." She said her community comes to this country to build a better life for their families, not to commit crimes.

Pisgah National Forest belongs to everyone. No family should have to fear an immigration raid on a summer trip to the creek.

Sign this petition to demand the Forest Service stop assisting ICE operations on public land and require a fair legal review for everyone detained at Wilson Creek.