U.S. Border Patrol agents began a long-awaited operation this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of its mass deportation efforts, the Department of Homeland Security said.
“We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said in an email. “There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens, and President Trump and [DHS Secretary Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t.”
The city was added to the growing list of locations that the Trump administration has sent federal law enforcement or military to combat what it says are problems with out-of-control crime and unauthorized immigration, including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C, Memphis, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon.
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Although crime in Charlotte is down compared to recent years, the city drew national attention after a man stabbed and killed 23-year old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in August. President Donald Trump and conservatives said the killing was proof of what they called “carnage” in American cities.
North Carolina’s leaders are split on whether they want federal intervention. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, told NOTUS in September that he was against a federal crackdown in Charlotte, arguing that there were plenty of cities that could use it more.
Earlier this month, Reps. Pat Harrigan, Mark Harris and Chuck Edwards — all Republicans from North Carolina — wrote a letter to Gov. Josh Stein asking for the National Guard to be deployed to Charlotte. A spokesperson for Stein said at the time that local law enforcement were best suited to keep neighborhoods safe, not military service members.
The Trump administration has increasingly turned to Border Patrol officials to ramp up deportation efforts. The administration is reportedly frustrated by the pace of arrests and deportations, and sees leadership changes as the remedy.
Immigration agents have been criticized for aggressive tactics during other focused crackdowns. Border Patrol agents have been stationed in Chicago since September, leading to numerous arrests as well as violent confrontations with locals.
North Carolina’s immigrant population has grown significantly in recent years, with foreign-born people making up about 9% of the state population as of 2023, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Charlotte’s Hispanic population is fast growing: Between 2020 and 2024, it increased from 288,000 to over 352,000 in the city and its suburbs.
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