Some question new police chief's commitment to protecting immigrants in Durham

Police Chief Patrice Andrews started her new job in Durham on Monday, and she's already under fire from immigrant advocates who question how committed she will be to protecting and serving people in the country illegally.

Andrews was police chief in Morrisville three years ago when more than two dozen people were arrested protesting the detention of Samuel Oliver-Bruno by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Morrisville.

Oliver-Bruno, who had been living in sanctuary in a Durham church, went to a Nov. 23, 2018, appointment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials when ICE agents took him into custody. He was later deported to Mexico, where he died this summer in a car crash.

"She was part of that day, and the decisions that she made affected that day," David Jinorio Swanson, who was among the protesters arrested, said Tuesday of Andrews. "We understand that ICE was the main culprit, but if it wasn’t for her, it wouldn’t have happened so quickly, and I think things would have been different."

Jinorio Swanson and other activists have created an online petition with a list of demands for Andrews, including that she apologize for what happened in 2018 and that she not cooperate with ICE in Durham.

Neither Andrews nor Durham City Manager Wanda Page responded to WRAL News' requests for comment, but city spokeswoman Beverly Thompson said Andrews plans to meet with the activists to discuss their concerns, which "will be addressed in a way that’s consistent with City of Durham values."

"City Manager Page and Chief Andrews are aware of the concerns raised by the group, and they take the concerns stated seriously," Thompson said in an email to WRAL News.

Jinorio Swanson said he doesn't think Andrews' priorities will change simply because she moved from Morrisville to Durham.

"I think she will prioritize working with ICE over protecting undocumented immigrants," he said.

"This isn’t about whether or not the police chief is competent. This is about what is going to happen to our immigrant community," agreed Jose Romero, who also was among the protesters arrested. "Durham has a larger immigrant community than Morrisville, so we’re worried around how this incident is going to translate into future behavior."

Those behind the online petition also are concerned about the process of Andrews' hiring. Page said months ago that she would release a list of a few finalists to the community before making a decision, but she skipped that step and simply hired Andrews.

"That has been the frustration that I keep hearing from every leader in different organizations I talk to," Jinorio Swanson said. "We wouldn’t be having these conversations, I think, today if her name was put out there one month ago or two months ago.

"To hire somebody and let your community know two weeks prior to that hire is not enough time for the community to do a proper vetting of its chief of police," he added.

Any meeting with Andrews would need to be in public and not privately, the activists said, noting the community needs to hear what she has to say.

"We do want accountability for what happened, and that hasn’t happened," Romero said.