Over the weekend, North Carolina became the latest target for the Trump administration’s immigration “crackdown.” It began with the lamely named “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in Charlotte and by Tuesday, ICE and CBP agents had expanded to the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas). The presence of these federal agents have been disruptive at best and illegal and cruel at worst. The biggest headline to break through nationwide was a raid on a church in Charlotte, which targeted congregants who had gathered there to cook and do yard work while their children played together on the grounds. Sadly, this was “legal” because earlier this year, Trump reversed a Biden-era policy that made places like schools and churches off-limits to immigration agents.
As of Tuesday, 250 people have been kidnapped taken into custody in the Charlotte area. No official numbers have been released yet for the Triangle, but initial reports say it was at least a dozen. So why are federal officials kidnapping people in North Carolina? The Dept of Homeland Security says it’s to target “criminal illegal aliens” who have “flocked” there for protection from “sanctuary politicians.” The only problem with that explanation is that North Carolina doesn’t have any sanctuary cities. It also has some pretty strict immigration laws thanks to Republicans who have had complete control over the state legislature for the last 15 years.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, federal agents smashed the window of a U.S. citizen’s truck before pulling him to the ground. Tens of thousands of public school students have been reported absent. And businesses in immigrant communities shuttered as border agents patrolled the streets.
North Carolina has become the latest focus of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, as federal agents surge into Charlotte and spread out across other Democratic-led cities in the notorious swing state, including Durham and Raleigh. Located hundreds of miles from the southern and northern borders, North Carolina doesn’t often generate national attention for immigration related issues, leading residents and local officials to question why the state that voted for Donald Trump in the last three presidential elections is being targeted.
The Department of Homeland Security said it launched “Operation Charlotte’s Web” to “target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to the Tar Heel State because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”
But Charlotte is not considered a sanctuary city, and the state has some of the strictest immigration provisions in the country, experts said, including a mandate passed last year requiring local jails to hold arrested immigrants for a limited time so they can be picked up by federal authorities.
“No cities in the state have sanctuary policies, if they did they would be violating state law,” said Rick Su, a professor of law at the University of North Carolina who specializes in immigration and local government. Su also noted that no city in North Carolina was included on the Justice Department’s list of “sanctuary jurisdictions,” which the agency defines as areas with “policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
After the weekend raids, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein criticized the operation as inducing “widespread fear” and said it is “not about public safety.”
“They’re driving around Charlotte in unmarked cars wearing paramilitary garb, masks, stopping people on the street randomly based on the color of their skin,” Stein said. “This is not promoting safety in our communities. The people of North Carolina deserve to be safe.”
The operations are being led by Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol official who coordinated immigration raids in Chicago that triggered lawsuits and fierce backlash over what many described as agents’ aggressive enforcement tactics. [A]ccording to a federal judge, [Bovino] admitted to lying about a rock-throwing incident used to justify the deployment tear gas on protesters.
Since the enforcement began in Charlotte, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District said over 30,000 students – about 20% of the student population – were absent on Monday, Nov. 17, according to preliminary data. Officials have not tied the low attendance numbers directly to the immigration enforcement. According to data from the school district, 31% of the student population identifies as Hispanic.
Videos of border agents conducting arrests have drawn scrutiny, including one of masked agents smashing the window of a U.S. citizen and pulling him to the ground. The man, Willy Aceituno, was brought into a Border Patrol vehicle and released after he showed agents documentation proving his citizenship, he told the Associated Press.
“I am deeply concerned with many of the videos I’ve seen,” said Mayor Vi Lyles in a statement on X. She added that her office is working to determine “what more we can do to support our community while working within complicated legal boundaries.”
At a city council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said immigration authorities were spotted in Wake and Durham counties. She urged people to call the Raleigh Police Department if they feel unsafe or see something illegal.
In Durham, local officials held a news conference and spoke out against the federal intervention. Nida Allam, the chair of the Durham Board of County Commissioners, said border agents were in the city to stoke fear, not fight crime.
“Durham is over 1,300 miles from the border,” Allam said. “None of this was about securing our borders, none of it was about enforcing the law. It was a show of force meant to scare people.”
So why is NC the federal government’s latest target? On one hand, it’s a purple state with a Democratic governor. On the other hand, NC voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections and has a Republican majority in both the state legislature and the Supreme Court. I suspect it’s a combination of f-cking with Gov. Stein, a recent tragedy on Charlotte public transit that right-wing media has gone all in on, and retribution for AG Jeff Jackson being part of a group of attorneys general that’s sued the admin for their various illegal activities. There’s also an added bonus of potentially throwing a wrench into the 2026 senate race, in which former governor Roy Cooper currently leads the MAGA candidate, Michael Whatley. Whatever the actual reason is doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day, the federal government is still illegally detaining people and denying them due process.
I live in NC. People are scared. But, they’ve also banded together in a way that I haven’t seen in a long time. ICE-tracking websites are being updated in real time. Facebook groups have posts set up to both warn about sightings and allow people to offer help to anyone scared to leave their homes right now. I’ve seen strangers in “Mom” groups offer to deliver groceries or stand at bus stops. School districts have sent out emails reassuring parents that no one gets into the building without a federal warrant while also offering contact information for a point person that will help kids who do stay home make up their classwork. Students are marching in protest. Businesses have posted signs saying that federal agents are not welcome in their establishments without warrants. I saw a picture on Instagram of a movie theater in Raleigh that changed their marquee to read “Detain deez nuts” in Spanish. It’s terrifying and terrible that American cities are going through this right now, but I’m grateful at how many people and organizations are stepping up to fight it in any way that they can.