Federal immigration agents carried out a wave of arrests across Charlotte over the weekend, prompting confusion, fear, and strong pushback from local leaders as the Trump administration launched its latest citywide enforcement surge.
According to The Associated Press, Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander who previously led similar operations in Chicago and Los Angeles, said more than 80 arrests had been made in North Carolina’s largest city as of Sunday.
Bovino took to social media to highlight several cases, sharing photos of individuals the administration labels “criminal illegal aliens,” including a man he said had multiple drunk driving convictions. “We arrested him, taking him off the streets of Charlotte so he can’t continue to ignore our laws and drive intoxicated on the same roads you and your loved ones are on,” Bovino wrote on X.
Federal officials dubbed the effort “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” a play on the famous children’s book. The operation comes despite falling crime rates in the city and repeated objections from Charlotte officials, who have criticized past federal actions in other cities as overly aggressive and discriminatory.
Reports of Border Patrol sightings near churches, apartment complexes, and retail stores surged throughout the weekend. Greg Asciutto, executive director of the community development group CharlotteEast, said reports were “overwhelming” and coming in faster than they could be verified.
“The past two hours we’ve received countless reports of CBP activity at churches, apartment complexes, and a hardware store,” he said.
Some residents reported alarming encounters. On Saturday, at least one U.S. citizen said he was thrown to the ground and briefly detained. At Camino, a nonprofit serving Latino residents, leaders said fear kept many people from going to school, work, or medical appointments.
Paola Garcia, a spokesperson for the group, said their dental clinic had nine cancellations on Friday.
“Latinos love this country,” Garcia said. “They love their family, and it’s just so sad to see that this community now has this target on their back.”
Bovino’s past operations have led to lawsuits over excessive force, including the use of chemical agents.
In the Chicago area, federal agents made more than 3,000 arrests between September and last week, though DHS released information on only a small number of cases. Several U.S. citizens were swept up in those operations, and dozens of protesters were arrested.
In Charlotte, uncertainty is growing over where detainees are being held, how long the operation will last, and what tactics agents may use. City council member-elect JD Mazuera Arias said reports of agents focusing on churches and apartment buildings were especially troubling.
“Houses of worship. I mean, that’s just awful,” he said. “These are sanctuaries for people who are looking for hope and faith in dark times like these and who no longer can feel safe because of the gross violation of people’s right to worship.”
Two people were arrested Sunday during a small protest outside a local DHS office and taken to an FBI facility, according to attorney Xavier T. de Janon, who said the charges remained unclear.
DHS accused the Charlotte region of failing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, citing what it said were roughly 1,400 unhonored detainers across North Carolina. Mecklenburg County does not hold detainees for federal pickup, and Charlotte’s police department does not participate in immigration enforcement.
“We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the arrests, and Bovino’s spokesman did not return messages seeking comment.
