Federal immigration agents swept into Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend of November 15-16, 2025, launching a massive operation that resulted in more than 130 arrests in just 48 hours. The enforcement blitz, dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” has sent shockwaves through the city of nearly one million, with residents, community leaders, and faith organizations grappling with fear, uncertainty, and outrage as federal officers targeted homes, businesses, and even places of worship.
Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), led the operation and made no secret of its aggressive intent. “Our agents go where the mission calls,” Bovino declared on social media, vowing to “hit Charlotte like a storm.” According to ABC News, 81 people were apprehended within the first five hours of the operation’s launch on Saturday. By Sunday, federal officials confirmed that over 130 individuals had been detained, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stating that all those arrested had violated U.S. immigration laws.
The DHS spokesperson detailed the criminal backgrounds of many of those arrested, citing offenses ranging from gang membership and aggravated assault to felony larceny, DUI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation. “We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country,” the spokesperson asserted, as reported by ABC News. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin echoed this, emphasizing, “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed.”
Yet the operation’s scope and tactics have drawn fierce criticism from local officials and advocates. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, joined by Mecklenburg County leaders, issued a joint statement condemning the raids for “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community.” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, was even more pointed in a video address: “We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks. This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”
Stein urged residents to remain vigilant, advising, “If you see any inappropriate behavior, use your phones to record and notify local law enforcement, who will continue to keep our communities safe after these federal agents leave.” The governor’s call came as eyewitnesses throughout Charlotte filmed and photographed incidents of masked agents arresting residents, sometimes in front of children or at community gathering places. According to the Associated Press, CBP activity was reported at churches, apartment complexes, hardware stores, and supermarkets across the city.
One of the most jarring incidents occurred at a church in eastern Charlotte, where about 15 to 20 congregants were performing yard work and children played nearby. The church’s pastor, who spoke with the Charlotte Observer, described how masked agents arrived without showing identification and detained a church member in front of his wife and child. “They took one of the members of the church, they don’t ask nothing, they just took him,” the pastor recounted. The event left church members shaken, with 15-year-old Miguel Vazquez reflecting, “We thought church was safe and nothing gonna happen. But it did happen.”
This appears to be one of the first known occasions where the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has deliberately extended onto church grounds. The New Covenant AME Church, although not directly targeted, issued a statement condemning the administration’s tactics: “This is not a partisan issue — this is a humanitarian issue. To witness individuals, including U.S. citizens, being snatched off the street and violently forced into vans is more than a travesty of justice; it is a violation of human dignity and a crime against humanity.”
Other residents reported harrowing encounters. Willy Aceituno, a naturalized U.S. citizen, told WSOC in Charlotte that he was stopped twice within five minutes by federal agents on Saturday. The second time, agents broke his window and forced him out of his vehicle. “They asked me, ‘Hey, give me your papers.’ I say, ‘I’m scared because I give [them to] you five minutes ago’,” Aceituno said, adding that he was released only after showing proof of citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security later claimed Aceituno was interfering with their operations, an allegation he denied.
The Trump administration has justified the operation as a response to so-called “sanctuary” policies in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, which limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. According to DHS, about 1,400 detainers have not been honored across North Carolina, a situation the agency claims puts the public at risk. The city’s police department does not assist with immigration enforcement, and local jails generally do not hold detainees for ICE to pick up. As a result, DHS has argued that “sanctuary politicians won’t” protect the public, so federal intervention is necessary.
But the crackdown has left Charlotte’s immigrant communities, particularly Latino residents, on edge. At Camino, a nonprofit serving Latino families, spokesperson Paola Garcia told the Associated Press that fear of raids led to nine cancellations at their dental clinic on Friday alone. “Latinos love this country. They came here to escape socialism and communism, and they’re hard workers and people of faith. They love their family, and it’s just so sad to see that this community now has this target on their back,” Garcia said.
Local businesses also felt the impact. Manolo Betancur, owner of a Latino bakery, temporarily closed his shop after witnessing agents detain people near his business. “I saw them with my own eyes. And they just shoved people to the floor,” Betancur said. “I’m scared. Nobody wants to see another human being treated that way.”
The operation sparked widespread protests throughout Charlotte and the state capital, Raleigh, with hundreds marching against the raids and at least two demonstrators arrested outside a DHS office. City council member-elect JD Mazuera Arias decried the focus on churches and apartment buildings: “Houses of worship. I mean, that’s just awful. These are sanctuaries for people who are looking for hope and faith in dark times like these and who no longer can feel safe because of the gross violation of people’s right to worship.”
Federal agents are expected to remain in Charlotte until Friday, November 21, before redeploying to New Orleans for “Operation Catahoula Crunch.” The Department of Homeland Security has provided few additional details about the Charlotte arrests and has not responded to requests for comment from multiple news organizations, including The Independent and the Associated Press.
For now, Charlotte remains on edge, its neighborhoods marked by uncertainty and tension as residents await the operation’s end and weigh the long-term consequences for their city’s sense of safety and trust.
