Nooze Hounds: Carolina Migrant Network Reflects on Trump 2.0
Episode 100
Following a year-long hiatus, Queen City Nerve’s Nooze Hounds podcast is back with our 100th episode. For this milestone, we brought back two guests who had not appeared with us on Nooze Hounds since our 35th episode in 2020.
Stefania Arteaga and Becca O’Neill are co-founders of Carolina Migrant Network, which provides free legal representation in immigration bond proceedings to individuals detained by ICE, among other services.
In the new episode, we discuss how their work has been impacted by the second Trump administration, especially the launch of Charlotte’s Web, an aggressive incursion by Customs and Border Protection carried out in Charlotte in November.
The actions of federal agents both locally and nationally during Trump’s second administration have justified Carolina Migrant Network’s decision to restore its ICE hotline (704-740-7737), allowing residents to report activity or detainments by officials with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in the Charlotte area.
The hotline was created during Trump’s first presidential term. When we reported on an increase in ICE activity locally in May 2025, Arteaga said it was helpful for the community to have a reliable team available with resources for detainees’ families and a place to report ICE activity. The hotline had fallen quiet during the Biden administration and was deactivated, but CMN reinstated it on Jan. 20, 2025.
”The line … helps us keep a pulse on what’s happening in the community, which is why it’s been helpful in identifying the increase in ICE activity,” Arteaga said then.
In episode 100 of Nooze Hounds, we discuss what role the hotline played in the community response to Charlotte’s Web, along with Carolina Migrant Network’s verification training sessions, through which the organization has coached hundreds of Charlotte-area residents on how to react if they witness ICE activity.
Visit Carolina Migrant Network’s website to learn more about their work, and/or follow them at @carolina_migrant_network on Instagram for updates on what they’re doing around the community.
Related reading for this episode:
Remember you can catch us on Spotify and other places where you find podcasts, and be sure to check out Queen City Podcast Network for a slew of other great Charlotte podcasts that aren’t quite as good as ours but pretty damn close. Find past Nooze Hounds episodes here.
