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.”

Over the weekend, federal agents arrested over 130 undocumented immigrants in Charlotte, including several dozen with previous charges ranging from driving under the influence to aggravated assault, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). USA TODAY is unable to independently verify those figures as the agency has not released the names of those arrested, or their exact charges.

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.”

Charlotte reeling from immigration sweeps as enforcement expands

Federal agents began surging into Charlotte neighborhoods on Saturday, Nov. 15, spurring business closures across immigrant communities as protesters took to the streets to decry the operations.

Homeland Security officials have not said how many agents have been sent to the state or how long the heightened enforcement will last.

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.

Bovino, who, according to a federal judge, admitted to lying about a rock-throwing incident used to justify the deployment tear gas on protesters, is from western North Carolina.

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.”

Charlotte, a recent flashpoint in the debate around crime in US cities

This is not the first time Charlotte has found itself at the center of national debates around public safety.

In August, the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a public train in Charlotte drew national headlines and the attention of the White House. Trump seized on the incident as an example of rampant violent crime in Democratic-led cities, pointing to the suspect’s lengthy criminal history.

In Charlotte, rates of violent crime have fallen sharply this year, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The agency said through the first nine months of 2025, Charlotte saw a 20% reduction in violent crimes including as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

So far this year, Durham and Raleigh have seen rates of violent crime either stay level or dip when compared with 2024, according to their respective police departments.

In its recent statements, the Department of Homeland Security has sought to tie its immigration enforcement in North Carolina to public safety and policies that they say allow criminals to roam the streets.

Research has shown that, on average, immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. Further, immigration violations, such as living in the country without proper documentation, are civil, not criminal, under U.S. law.

"Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed.”

In a statement posted to its website, DHS also accused local law enforcement in North Carolina of refusing to comply with almost 1,400 detainer requests by immigration officials to hold arrested suspects for 48 hours.

It is true that for years, Mecklenburg County, which encompasses Charlotte, did not honor such detainers. But that changed last year when the majority-Republican legislature overcame a veto and passed a measure forcing sheriff's offices to hold arrested immigrants temporarily for federal authorities.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry L. McFadden, a Democrat, has publicly feuded with immigration authorities over enforcement but he has maintained that his office is complying with detainer requirements.

In recent months, he said he has sought to improve communication with federal immigration officials. In late October, McFadden called a meeting with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement's regional leaders.

"I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time," McFadden said after the meeting, according to local media reports.

Last week, McFadden announced publicly that two federal officials told him Border Patrol agents would soon be arriving in Charlotte. He added, “specific details regarding the federal operation have not been disclosed.”

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's happening in North Carolina? Feds are swarming the swing state.

Reporting by Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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