Federal immigration agents launched an aggressive crackdown in Charlotte November 15-20, reportedly arresting as many as 400 individuals and raising widespread concerns about racial profiling, due process and community safety. The operation, known as “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” was led by U.S. Border Patrol, whose masked agents arrived in unmarked SUVs carrying rifles.
Federal officials said agents made at least 370 arrests within five days, although other sources estimated the number to be over 400. It has been declared one of the largest immigration sweeps in the state’s history.
Siembra NC is a grassroots organization focused on defending communities from abusive employers, landlords, ICE and corrupt government officials. They have monitored reports across the region, and called Nov. 15 “a day of shame,” noting it was the highest number of immigrants arrested in one day on record in North Carolina.
Throughout the five days Trump’s border patrol agents ran rough shod throughout the Queen City, residents across Charlotte reported encounters with federal agents in shopping centers, parking lots, supermarkets, churches and residential areas. Witnesses described several people being tackled or restrained, including a man who appeared to collapse during an encounter near a church in east Charlotte and a teen employee who was thrown to the ground and detained outside the Super G Mart in Pineville. Residents also reported agents stopping people in public areas such as sidewalks and store parking lots.
Throughout the invasion, thousands of residents protested publicly in the streets of the city and in the uptown area carrying signs in English and Spanish, marching through the streets and calling for Border Patrol to leave Charlotte. Multiple protests occurred at high schools throughout the county.
The presence of federal agents also led businesses in immigrant-serving corridors to close. Along Central Avenue, many shops remained shuttered during the operation, including Manolo’s Bakery, a longtime fixture in east Charlotte. Owner Manuel “Manolo” Betancur told CNN he saw agents pull up in unmarked SUVs and begin “jumping and taking people down in the street, just people that look like me.” Betancur, a naturalized U.S. citizen, said he now carries his passport because he promised his family he would come home safely. He said he does not want customers exposed to the same danger. “It’s too risky,” he said.
Local officials announced the operation had ended Nov. 21, and that border patrol was moving on to New Orleans, La. Sources in Greenville, S.C., say they made a brief appearance there and other media sources reported “Operation Swamp Sweep” would begin in NOLA starting Dec. 1.
City officials initially said they had received almost no information from federal authorities about the enforcement surge, including how long agents had planned to remain in the city or where detainees were being taken. Mecklenburg County Commission chairman Mark Jerrell said the lack of communication was “stoking a lot of fear in our community,” and cited the case of a resident and American citizen whose car window was smashed by agents before he was briefly detained, pointing to what he described as potential profiling. “Why were they stopped? What is this that allows folks just to be detained on the street, essentially profiled?” Jerrell asked.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department reiterated they were not participating in the operation. CMPD stated that officers “are not authorized to assist with ICE administrative warrants” and “do not participate in ICE or CBP operations,” adding that the department would have only engaged when criminal behavior or a criminal warrant falls under its jurisdiction.
As the operation finally wound down, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement via Twitter/X:
“It appears U.S. Border Patrol has ceased its operations in Charlotte. I’m relieved for our community and the residents, businesses and all those who were targeted and impacted by this intrusion.
“As we move forward, it is essential that we come together—not as separate groups divided by recent events, but as one Charlotte community. Our strength has always come from our ability to support one another, especially in challenging times. I am calling on all members of our community to join in this effort. Let us stand together, listen to one another and recommit ourselves to the values of dignity, compassion and unity that define our city. Charlotte is strongest when Charlotte stands as one.”
Despite Lyles’ statement, border patrol, news outlets and internal federal sources imply that while agents were preparing to move on to New Orleans, some reportedly remain and others could return to Charlotte at any time to continue enforcement.