An internal Department of Homeland Security document shows that fewer than one-third of the people arrested by Border Patrol during the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement push in Charlotte were classified as criminals, contradicting public claims by officials directing the operation.
According to CBS News, the enforcement surge, known as Operation Charlotte’s Web, involved roughly 200 Border Patrol agents and resulted in more than 270 arrests beginning the weekend of Nov. 15.
The internal document shows that fewer than 90 of those detained were labeled as “criminal aliens,” despite administration statements describing the operation as focused on individuals with criminal histories who posed public safety threats.
The document does not detail the severity of the alleged crimes or whether the cases involved convictions or only charges. It also does not include arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though Border Patrol played the central role in the Charlotte operation.
While DHS has publicly insisted the crackdown is ongoing, other internal documents indicate that Border Patrol’s deployment ended last week, with agents demobilizing from the area.
ICE, which maintains a permanent presence in North Carolina, is expected to continue enforcement efforts independently. CBS News also reported that Border Patrol is preparing for a new operation in New Orleans as early as the first week of December.
A DHS spokesperson told CBS News that the reporting was “likely inaccurate,” though the department did not dispute the arrest breakdown shown in the internal document.
Instead, DHS pointed to an earlier press release announcing more than 130 arrests in Charlotte during the operation’s first two days, including 44 individuals described as having criminal charges or convictions for offenses such as aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, battery, and DUI. Two of those arrested were identified as gang members.
Operation Charlotte’s Web is the latest high-profile deployment led by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has become the administration’s primary field enforcer in President Donald Trump’s nationwide effort to ramp up deportations.
Over recent months, Bovino has overseen aggressive operations in several Democrat-led cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, marking a dramatic expansion of Border Patrol’s traditional role along the nation’s borders.
In Charlotte and other cities, agents — sometimes accompanied by Bovino — have been filmed arresting day laborers, landscapers, and other individuals in public spaces such as Home Depot parking lots.
Videos from the Charlotte area showed agents smashing the window of a U.S. citizen’s vehicle, making arrests outside businesses, and approaching men decorating a Christmas tree.
The operations have sparked intense criticism from local leaders, who accuse federal agents of harsh tactics, racial profiling, and targeting Hispanic U.S. citizens.
Administration officials have rejected those accusations, saying arrests are based solely on immigration status and that force is used only when necessary to protect agents.
The fallout in Charlotte was swift. Businesses are temporarily closed. High school students staged walkouts. School districts across the region reported tens of thousands of absences as families fearful of enforcement kept children home.
A CBS News poll released over the weekend found that 58% of Americans believe federal immigration agents are detaining “more people than necessary,” highlighting a growing national concern over the scope of the administration’s enforcement practices.
