‘Operation Charlotte’s Web’ Nets 130+ ‘Criminal Illegal Alien’ Arrests In First Weekend
Federal immigration officers arrested more than 130 individuals in Charlotte, North Carolina over the weekend as part of President Trump’s newly launched immigration crackdown dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the operation is targeting illegal immigrants with criminal histories who have settled in Democrat-run sanctuary cities. Officials say those arrested had records for crimes such as aggravated assault, DUI, hit and run, felony larceny, shoplifting, and illegal re-entry after deportation — a federal felony.
“These are not innocent bystanders,” a DHS spokesperson told The Daily Wire. “We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country.”
The operation began early Saturday morning and is part of a broader Trump administration effort to target sanctuary jurisdictions. Border Patrol agents, alongside other federal officers, conducted coordinated sweeps throughout Charlotte neighborhoods. According to DHS, some of those arrested were known gang members or had multiple prior deportations.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory K. Bovino posted images and details of several suspects, highlighting the danger he says they pose to American communities.
“Who’s at the same grocery store as you?” Bovino wrote in one post. “This illegal alien from Honduras has a record including aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, and DUI — and he’s been deported twice before.”
Another suspect from Mexico was said to have three DUI convictions and is now facing felony re-entry charges.
The sweep wasn’t without incident. DHS says one federal officer was injured when a U.S. citizen attempted to ram agents with a van during an enforcement stop. The suspect, who has a history of resisting arrest and public intoxication, fled the scene but was later captured following a high-speed chase.
As news of the arrests spread, protests erupted across the city. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered to oppose the presence of federal immigration agents, holding signs like “Immigrants Make Charlotte Great” and “Charlotte Demands ICE and Border Patrol Out Of Our City.”
North Carolina’s Democrat Governor Josh Stein issued a video statement condemning the operation, accusing federal agents of racial profiling and “targeting American citizens based on their skin color.”
The Trump administration has defended the operation, arguing that local authorities have routinely refused to honor federal immigration detainers. DHS claims North Carolina officials have ignored nearly 1,400 detainers, allowing violent offenders to remain on the streets.
Charlotte became a focus of national attention earlier this year following the high-profile murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on the city’s light rail by a man with a lengthy criminal history.
Federal officials say similar operations have been executed in other crime-ridden cities including Chicago, Memphis, Portland, and Washington, D.C., where hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds have already been detained.
The Trump administration has indicated more raids are expected in the coming weeks.