The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown hit a new city over the weekend, with federal agents descending upon Charlotte, North Carolina, and taking dozens of people into custody. The raids may indicate a new escalation of the administration’s aggressive immigration policy.
Border Patrol agents arrest dozens in ‘Operation Charlotte’s Web’
The Department of Homeland Security conducted a series of raids this weekend in Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina. Commander Gregory K. Bovino, who has led similar raids in Chicago and Los Angeles before running Charlotte’s operation, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that raids had taken place on Saturday in about five hours, and “81, many of whom had significant criminal and immigration history, are off the streets.”
Bovino continued in a series of posts with pictures of people being detained in the back of vehicles, seemingly handcuffed, identifying each as an “illegal alien” with a criminal or previous deportation record. Across the city, Customs and Border Patrol agents, many in SUVs and vans, deployed in force at multiple locations in the city, including businesses and major intersections. Their presence prompted a Saturday afternoon protest from residents. Despite the opposition, the operations continued on Sunday, with DHS later claiming, “During the first two days of Operation Charlotte’s Web, Border Patrol arrested over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken the immigration laws of our country.”
Democrats allege unusual operation may have political motives
The raids on Charlotte were unusual in comparison with previous large-scale immigration activities under the Trump administration and may indicate new tactics by DHS. The department stated that this was the first major city operation of the current crackdown conducted by CBP without coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has taken a lead role in other such raids; both agencies fall under DHS. Although Charlotte is primarily led by Democrats, like other cities targeted by federal action, the Trump administration did not publicly signal that it was going after Charlotte, and the raids were unexpected by local officials. The city is not near either U.S. border and has had a significant drop in violent crime this year. Some local leaders characterized the choice of Charlotte as political, arguing that Trump is attempting to impact next year’s elections, where popular former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is trying to win an open Senate seat.
Disrupting businesses; detaining a U.S. citizen
Whatever the long-term motive of the Trump administration’s raids in Charlotte, the short-term impact of the federal action was to disrupt the city. Manolo’s Bakery, a popular Charlotte establishment, was forced to close over the weekend for the first time in nearly three decades as the raids disrupted local businesses. In one controversial incident, Willy Aceituno, a U.S. citizen originally from Honduras, was forcibly taken into custody by agents who smashed his car window before removing him from his vehicle. Aceituno was handcuffed and detained despite identifying himself as a citizen, and was only released after producing documents to prove his citizenship.
Despite complaints from Aceituno and others, the Trump administration is portraying its operation in Charlotte as a success. As Trump uses federal forces to intervene in primarily Democratic-run cities around the country, this weekend’s raids in Charlotte may indicate the types of tactics that the administration will use in the future.