ICE now says only 24 charged in presumed gang crackdown in western North Carolina

ASHEVILLE. - Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents late Friday for a second time revised downward the number of people it said were charged in what the federal agency characterized as a four-day strike against gangs that culiminated in a raid early Sunday morning on a club frequented by Hispanics.

According to the revised news release emailed to the media by ICE spokesperson Barbara González in Charlotte, 24 people were charged in what ICE called a "targeted gang enforcement operation over the weekend in Asheville".

The largest number of people charged during the four days were nine people who were not arrested but to whom state Alcohol Law Enforcement agents instead gave summons to appear in court for unspecified reasons. ALE typically issues such summons, similar in legal effect to a summons for speeding or other traffic violations, for underage drinking.

The release for the first time announced the involvement of the Hendersonville Police Department in the operation, crediting them for arresting three unnamed individuals.

Those arrests bring to nine the total number of people facing state criminal charges, including two who were previously identified as being arrested by the Henderson County Sheriff's Department a week ago and four arrested by ALE, including three people who allegedly assaulting an ALE officer when authorities entered La Kama (the bed) just before 2 am Sunday.

ICE said the "criminal charges range between violent assault offenses which include stabbing incidents to narcotics violations. ICE agents also seized marijuana and cocaine.

The other six individuals arrested face immigration administrative charges.

Gonzalez said the operation was an example of ICE's focus on "smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes efforts first on those dangerous criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, not sweeps or raids to target undocumented immigrants indiscriminately".

However, La Kama's promoter, and some patrons contradicted descriptions of the venue as a gang haven. The club operates on Saturday nights inside the restaurant Oriental Pavilion in Westgate Shopping Center near downtown Asheville.

Promoter Emilio Reyes and patrons Sherry Martin and Casia Barbosa said the raid was exactly what González said it wasn't -- a show of force by federal authorities that indiscriminately targeted immigrants and will cause further alarm among undocumented immigrants in the mountains.

Martin said she was organizing a protest against ICE for this Saturday at ...