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Manuel “Manolo” Betancur closed his Charlotte bakery for the first time in 28 years Saturday afternoon at the city’s arrival of U.S. Border Patrol agents, and he doesn’t know when he’ll reopen.
“The amount of fear that we have right now is no good,” Betancur told CharlotteFive outside Manolo’s Bakery in the 4400 block of Central Avenue, in the heart of Charlotte’s immigrant community.
“It’s not worth it to take that risk,” he said. “We need to protect our families and family separation.”
He said he saw federal agents randomly stop people and throw them to the ground. “That’s what I saw this morning,” he said.
Border Patrol in Charlotte
Similar scenes played out in other parts of Charlotte, Pineville and Matthews, as masked federal agents detained and arrested people, sparking community outrage. Many other businesses along Central Avenue also closed, at least for the day, as a result.
The U.S. Border Patrol has not said how many agents arrived in the city from Chicago or how long they plan to stay. Their operation started in the morning. It was not clear exactly which federal agencies were involved.
‘Made in Charlotte by Immigrant Hands’
Betancur’s shirt read, “Made in Charlotte by Immigrant Hands.”
“Easy they have taken maybe around 20 people today around in Charlotte,” he said. “They have been in our parking lots several times today.”
He said “of course” his business has been hurt.
“I am going to close the doors, and I don’t know when I am going to open back up,” he said.
“Thank you, thank you to the community and all the people that have supported me,” he said. “But I need to protect my customers. I need to protect my community and myself, because they are just jumping in and throwing people to the floor.”
Border Patrol is ‘chasing anyone who looks, speaks like me’
“They’re lying, man,” Betancur said. “They’re not chasing criminals. They’re chasing anyone who looks, speaks like me, who has an accent like me, who looks like me.”
“I never close, man,” he said. “Ever. Never.”
Now, he said, he has no choice.
Alex Cason contributed reporting.
Manolo’s Bakery
Location: 4405 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @manolosbakeryclt
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 5:52 PM.
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Joe Marusak
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