Protesters surround government vehicle after Samuel Oliver, a 47-year-old Mexican national without papers, was arrested after going to an appointment with immigration officials on Friday. November 23, 2018 in Morrisville, North Carolina. He lives at CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham since late 2017 to avoid the presence of immigration officers, who usually avoid arrests in churches. (Long Travis / The News & Observer via AP) ORG XMIT: NCRAL501(Photo: Travis Long, AP)

Police in North Carolina arrested 27 people Friday for trying to prevent an Immigration and Customs Enforcement van from leaving with a Mexican at an immigration appointment. .

Samuel Oliver-Bruno, an undocumented Mexican national, arrived at the US Bureau of Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) in Morrisville at 8:45 am for a biometric analysis, according to Alerta Migratoria, a human rights organization. immigrants to North Carolina. The analysis was part of a deferred action request that would allow him to stay in the country, the press release says.

He was accompanied by members of the community, including worshipers from the United Methodist Church in Durham, where he lived in a "protective sanctuary" for nearly a year. Oliver-Bruno "decided to attend the appointment because it was his only option to stay active in the immigration process," according to a church statement.

Shortly after entering the USCIS office with his son Daniel, Oliver-Bruno was arrested by plainclothes ICE plainclothes agents who forced him into a pickup truck. Daniel, who was born in the United States, was also arrested for allegedly assaulting an ICE agent.

A protester is arrested after Samuel Oliver, 47, a Mexican undocumented citizen, was arrested after an appointment with immigration officers in Morrisville, North Carolina, on Friday, November 23, 2018. He was living in the CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham since late 2017 to avoid the presence of immigration officers, who usually avoid arrests in churches. (Long Travis / The News & Observer via AP) ORG XMIT: NCRAL502 (Photo: Travis Long, AP)

Supporters waiting in front of the office rushed to block the vehicle. The Morrisville police arrived at the scene around 9:15 am according to a Facebook post from the ministry. After two hours of attempts to "defuse the situation and negotiate a peaceful resolution," the police began detaining more than 20 people who refused to leave.

At 11:25, the van was able to leave the area.

Cleve May, a pastor of CityWell, posted a one – hour video of the meeting.

Congressmen David Price and G.K. Butterfield, both Democrats, issued a joint statement that ICE appears to be coordinating with the USCIS to target Oliver-Bruno.

"We are extremely alarmed by the brutal arrest of Samuel Oliver-Bruno," reads a statement. "At best, Mr. Oliver-Bruno faced a dilemma with no tomorrow, at worst he was trapped."

A group of people gathered Monday at the Wake Detention Center to protest the detention of Oliver-Bruno, reported WRAL-TV. Oliver-Bruno was transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, according to the records of the ICE.

Oliver-Bruno came to the United States in 1994 to work in the building industry
Greenville, according to CityWell. He met his wife, Julia Perez Pacheco, who gave birth to their son in 1999.

In 2011, Oliver-Bruno's family returned to Mexico, but after two years, Julia's health has deteriorated, the church said. Julia, who has lupus, returned to the US with Daniel and then had an open heart surgery. Oliver-Bruno attempted to rejoin his family a few months later and was arrested at the border.

He added that he was subsequently released for a stay, which was granted to him every year until November 2017.

Contributor: WCNC-TV, Charlotte

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