Federal agents arrest 130 in Charlotte immigration crackdown
Federal agents arrested 130 people in two days in Charlotte, North Carolina, the latest city to face President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to a U.S. official.
Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told the BBC that a number of those arrested were criminals and gang members. But local leaders believe this operation does more harm than good.
DHS said a U.S. citizen allegedly injured a police officer when he rammed his car into a law enforcement vehicle.
In terms of population, Charlotte is about a quarter the size of Los Angeles and a third of Chicago, the two places most targeted by waves of immigration and deportations.
Greg Bovino, a border official, said 81 of the arrests in Charlotte were made over a five-hour period Saturday.
Bovino, who is known for leading Chicago’s immigration efforts until recently, posted on social media about “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
The name refers to a widely read children’s book featuring a spider and a pig.
Many Charlotte residents, however, expressed their displeasure with the operation almost as soon as it began, marching Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s actions in the city.
The city’s Democratic mayor said in a statement that residents of the community felt “threatened” and “destabilized.”
“I am deeply concerned by many of the videos I have seen,” said Mayor Vi Lyles. “To anyone feeling anxious or fearful in Charlotte: you are not alone. Your city stands with you.”
The governor of North Carolina, also a Democrat, also denounced the operation.
“We have seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary gear driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, carrying out racial profiling and stopping people randomly in parking lots,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said on Sunday. “It doesn’t make us any safer.”
Bovino said in his post that there was “more to come.”
Also on Sunday, DHS shared video of a white pickup truck being pursued by two police cars after the driver allegedly drove “toward law enforcement while they were conducting an operation.”
They added that the driver hit police cars as he tried to escape, but was later arrested.
DHS did not say how long the raids would last. The crackdown in Chicago, which began in September, continues.
