CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal officials confirmed that a surge of immigration enforcement is being conducted in North Carolina's largest city, leading to visible community unrest and fear.
“We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” said Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
Local officials, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, criticized the operation, stating these actions are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty among residents. In a statement supported by County Commissioner Mark Jerrell and Stephanie Sneed of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg education board, they emphasized their commitment to all community members who wish to live peacefully.
The federal government did not announce the push in advance, but Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden indicated earlier that federal agents would soon arrive for enforcement activities.
According to Paola Garcia, a spokesperson for Camino, a nonprofit that assists families, there has been an increase in Border Patrol and ICE agents actively pulling over individuals since Friday.
“Basically what we’re seeing is that there has been a lot of interaction with Border Patrol,” Garcia stated. “I saw a few people being pulled over on the way to work, and community members too have reported an increase in ICE activities.”
Willy Aceituno, a U.S. citizen originally from Honduras, described his encounters with Border Patrol agents, stating, “I saw a lot of Latinos running. I wondered why they were running. The thing is, there were a lot of Border Patrol agents chasing them.” He was stopped multiple times, with one incident resulting in agents breaking a window to get him out of his vehicle.
Local organizations are stepping up, providing training to inform immigrants of their rights and discussing potential peaceful protests. Governor Josh Stein expressed concerns regarding many of those detained lacking criminal backgrounds, urging the community to record any misconduct and notify local authorities, as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department clarified they are not involved in federal enforcement efforts.
