Family members of the man arrested near the Charlotte East Language Academy drop off line say their dad was told by the arresting agent that the agents thought he was someone else. Despite that, the man, Noel Antonio Alfero Escobar, was arrested anyway. Escobar is a citizen of El Salvador.
Channel 9 worked with its partners at Telemundo Charlotte for this report.
Family members and friends of Escobar say he was not dropping someone off at the school when he was arrested but his daughter does attend the school. At the time of his arrest, Escobar was taking his friend to work. She asked to not be identified.
“When I realized they were taking him out of the vehicle, they put him in handcuffs, put a band around his waist and took him away without saying anything,” she said.
She says arresting agents told her to stand down when she tried to figure out what was going on.
PREVIOUS STORIES:
- PTA says student’s parent was detained near school in east Charlotte
- ICE releases information on arrest made near east Charlotte school drop-off line
- Man accused of threatening to kill CMPD, ICE officers, referencing deadly Charlotte ambush
- Group says increase of ICE arrests in Charlotte is leading to more calls for help
“No more questions,” she said they told her. “Do you want to be arrested too? No more questions.”
Channel 9 was unable to verify any significant criminal history for Escobar. Channel 9 found only minor traffic citations from 15 years ago. A spokesperson for ICE did not provide any additional arrests or prior deportations.
Escobar’s daughter, Edith, visited her father the weekend at the Georgia prison where he is now being held.
She says after he was arrested, the ICE agent told him “they finally got him after previously catching and deporting him.”
She says he then pleaded to arresting officer that they had the wrong guy and the ICE agent verified that was true.
But he was arrested anyway.
“The police officer told my dad that he was right, he hadn’t been deported, but that he still had to take him,” Edith said.
A spokesperson for ICE defended the arrest to Channel 9.
“Any alien encountered, even if not the target, is subject to arrest if deemed to be here illegally,” the spokesperson said.
The arrest has rattled the Charlotte East Language Academy community where his daughter Gabriela goes to school. She says her dad’s arrest made her scared to go back.
“I was afraid to go to school,” Gabriela said. “And I was not feeling safe.”
In response to this story, the Charlotte East Language Academy PTA released a statement saying enforcement near schools is spreading fear to families.
“Our children are carrying the emotional weight. No child should fear coming to school,” the statement said. “No family should be made invisible or treated as collateral damage. What we need now is leadership grounded in clarity, compassion, and courage. Our children are watching how we respond.”
In addition to Escobar, ICE arrested a second man just blocks away from Albemarle Rd and Jenkins Drive and the school, Adrian Ojeda-Calvillo. Unlike Escobar, he has a significant criminal history. It’s unclear if he was the original target.
Statement from the Charlotte East Language Academy PTA:
On Monday morning last week, a father from our CELA school community was detained by ICE near the only access road to our campus, just as families were dropping off their children. The detainment was public, sudden, and traumatic. Children saw it happen. Families were afraid. Staff and students were shaken. And a family in our community is now facing a devastating separation.The father detained was collateral damage in an unrelated operation—something we’ve known for some time.Later in the week, ICE was present near other CMS schools during morning arrival. This pattern of enforcement near schools is spreading fear and destabilizing families across our district.We are in touch with other PTAs and families at neighboring schools, seeing the same impacts. This is an urgent, district-wide issue. With ICE activity increasing, the stakes are only rising.We call on CMS leaders to:Acknowledge the harm these actions cause students and families; Provide trauma-informed training for all staff; Communicate clearly and compassionately about families’ rights and available resources. For many immigrant families, schools are their main connection to public life. Providing immigration resources through schools ensures access in a familiar, trusted setting—especially for families who don’t know where else to turn. Our children are carrying the emotional weight. No child should fear coming to school. No family should be made invisible or treated as collateral damage. What we need now is leadership grounded in clarity, compassion, and courage. Our children are watching how we respond.
(VIDEO: Man accused of threatening to kill CMPD, ICE officers, referencing deadly Charlotte ambush)
©2025 Cox Media Group
