Trump's next immigration crackdown will target Charlotte, North
Carolina, a sheriff says
[November 14, 2025]
By ALLEN G. BREED and ERIK VERDUZCO
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The latest city bracing for the Trump
administration’s immigration crackdown is Charlotte, North Carolina,
which could see an influx of federal agents as early as this weekend, a
county sheriff said Thursday.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement that two
federal officials confirmed a plan for U.S. Customs and Border
Protection agents to start an enforcement operation Saturday or early
next week in North Carolina’s largest city. His office declined to
identify those officials. McFadden said details about the operation
haven’t been disclosed and his office hasn’t been asked to assist.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
declined to comment, saying, “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the
nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential
operations.”
President Donald Trump has defended sending the military and immigration
agents into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and even the
nation’s capital, saying the unprecedented operations are needed to
fight crime and carry out his mass deportation agenda.
Charlotte is another such Democratic stronghold. A statement of
solidarity from several local and state officials estimated the city is
home to more than 150,000 foreign-born people. The city's population is
about 40% white, 33% Black, 16% Hispanic and 7% Asian.
The Trump administration has used this summer's fatal stabbing of
Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskahas on a light-rail train in Charlotte
as proof that Democratic-led cities fail to protect their residents from
violent crime. A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged
with murder.
Activists, faith leaders, and local and state officials say they already
started preparing the immigrant community for a crackdown, sharing
information about resources and attempting to calm fears. Nearly 500
people participated in a call organized by the group CharlotteEAST on
Wednesday.
“The purpose of this call was to create a mutual aid network,” said City
Councilmember-Elect JD Mazuera Arias. CharlotteEAST executive director
Greg Asciutto urged residents to connect with groups providing support.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has clarified that it "has
no authority to enforce federal immigration laws,” and is not involved
in planning or carrying out these operations.
Mazuera Arias and others said they had already begun receiving
unconfirmed reports of what appeared to be plainclothes officers in
neighborhoods and on transit.
“This is some of the chaos that we also saw in Chicago,” state Sen.
Caleb Theodros, who represents Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, said
Thursday.
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A sign in Spanish that reads at top: "Know Your Rights" is displayed
outside of a restaurant store front, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in
Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief who led Customs and Border
Protection's recent Chicago operation and was central to the immigration
operation in Los Angeles, had been coy about where agents would target
next.
The Trump administration's “ Operation Midway Blitz ” began in the
Chicago area in early September, over the objections of local leaders.
It initially involved limited arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement officers in the suburbs but expanded to include hundreds of
Customs and Border Protection agents.
Their tactics grew increasingly aggressive. More than 3,200 people
suspected of violating immigration laws have been arrested across the
region.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both immigration
agencies, has offered few details on the arrests beyond highlighting a
handful of people who were living in the U.S. without legal permission
and had criminal records.
The group Indivisible Charlotte and the Carolina Migrant Network will
train volunteers Friday on what rights people have when interacting with
immigration authorities and how to spot federal immigration agents.
“They’re not always wearing vests that say ‘ICE,’" said Tony Siracusa,
spokesperson for Indivisible Charlotte.
The groups will also discuss potential “pop up protests,” but he
stressed that the activists weren't encouraging people to go get
arrested.
Siracusa said locals are “not freaking out, but very definitely
concerned."
Daniela Andrade, communications director at the Carolina Migrant
Network, noted that organizers canceled a Hispanic heritage festival
this year out of concerns about immigration enforcement. The group had
been holding in-person “know your rights” sessions for immigrants since
the beginning of the year but switched to virtual events even before
Thursday’s news.
“It’s the concern of family separation, of being removed from a
community where many people have lived here for years,” she said.
___
Breed reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Associated Press writer
Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
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