RALEIGH — An illegal immigrant who was arrested following a standoff with Gates County Sheriff’s deputies and North Carolina State Troopers in March 2024 is scheduled to be deported.
Awet Hagos was taken into custody by deputies on Mar. 11, 2024, after a four-hour standoff. The incident began after Gates County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) received a call there was a man firing a gun outside of convenience store who was later identified as Hagos.
Hagos, who entered the country illegally and is from Eritrea, was charged with three counts each of assault on a government official and resisting a public officer, and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
At the time of his arrest, he was issued a $100,000 secured bond, which he did not post and was taken to the Albemarle District Jail. Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer hold on Hagos,
News of the arrest reached then-Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who issued a letter to former President Joe Biden expressing concern that Hagos may be on the terror watch list based on information from the GCSO. The Biden administration did not respond to Robinson’s letter.
North State Journal found courts records showing Hagos had been convicted and then sentenced to 60 days in jail on Oct. 7, 2024. Hagos was subsequently released after being credited for 60 days he had already spent in custody awaiting trial.
In response to an email inquiry by North State Journal, an ICE spokesperson wrote, “Awet Hagos remains in ICE custody awaiting removal. He was arrested by ICE and taken into custody on October 9, 2024. An immigration judge has ordered him removed.”
According to ICE records, Hagos is currently in the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
