CHARLOTTE — The owner of a beloved east Charlotte bakery says he denied entry to former U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
Manolo’s Bakery shared a video and pictures showing Bovino outside the business on Sunday.
According to a post on the bakery’s Instagram account, the encounter between owner Manolo Betancur and Bovino “became a tense conversation about the human and economic impact of immigration enforcement on Charlotte’s immigrant families, workers, and small businesses.”
Bovino asked Betancur why he regularly carried his passport.
“Because people are being pursued because of the color of their skin, not because of their nationality,” the bakery owner said.
Betancur also said the issue goes beyond one confrontation.
“This is bigger than Manolo’s Bakery. Families are afraid, employees are afraid to go to work, customers are afraid to leave their homes, and small businesses are paying the price,” Betancur said.
The bakery said Betancur told Bovino he was not welcome there or in Charlotte.
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