U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained more than 130 people suspected of being in the country unlawfully in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend in an operation the Department of Homeland Security is calling “Charlotte’s Web,” prompting street protests and sharp criticism from state and local leaders.
Federal officials said the operation began on Saturday, Nov. 15. By Monday, CBP reported more than 130 arrests over the first two days. A CBP spokesperson said many of those detained had criminal records that included aggravated assault, weapons charges, DUI/DWI and felony re-entry, adding: “We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country.” (reuters.com)
CBP Commander Gregory K. Bovino posted updates on X throughout the weekend, calling Saturday a “record day” and citing 81 arrests within roughly five hours. He highlighted individual cases, including a Honduran man with arrests for aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon and DUI, and a Mexican man with multiple DUI/DWI convictions. CBP and DHS also argued the operation responds to what the department says are nearly 1,400 detainer requests not honored by North Carolina jurisdictions. (wbtv.com)
Authorities reported one related injury to a law‑enforcement officer on Sunday after a U.S. citizen in a work van allegedly tried to ram law‑enforcement vehicles during a chase near University City. The driver was arrested, and a firearm was recovered, DHS said. (wbtv.com)
The enforcement surge drew immediate pushback. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in uptown Charlotte on Saturday, and videos circulating online showed aggressive arrests, including agents breaking a car window to remove a driver. Protesters chanted “No justice, no peace, no ICE or police,” and some Latino‑owned businesses temporarily closed amid fears in immigrant neighborhoods. (wbtv.com)
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein condemned the tactics in a video statement, saying residents had seen “masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks.” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles urged that constitutional rights be upheld and said the city would support affected communities. Local police and the county sheriff said they were not participating in the federal operation. (reuters.com)
Religious leaders also weighed in. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops warned of “a climate of fear and anxiety” around profiling and immigration enforcement and decried the “vilification of immigrants.” In response, White House border czar Tom Homan said, “A secure border saves lives,” adding, “I’ll say it as a Catholic, I think they need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church.” (reuters.com)
Federal officials framed “Charlotte’s Web” as part of a wider national enforcement push that has included similar actions in other U.S. cities this year. (reuters.com)
Charlotte has been at the center of a broader debate over crime and public safety since the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of 23‑year‑old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Lynx Blue Line train. The accused, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., a U.S. citizen, was arrested at the scene and later charged in state court with first‑degree murder and in federal court with causing death on a mass‑transportation system. Local and state reports note Brown had 14 prior arrests. (justice.gov)
While DHS cites local “non‑cooperation” to justify the Charlotte operation, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden says the county is not a sanctuary jurisdiction and that a 2024 state law (HB 10) requires sheriffs statewide to comply with ICE detainer notifications. He has also said his office is following the law while seeking clarity from federal partners. (wccbcharlotte.com)
