Raleigh, North Carolina – Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people throughout North Carolina Immigration campaign Centered around Charlotte, The largest city in the stateAs announced by the US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.
The process that began over the weekend is the latest phase for the Republican president Donald TrumpAggressive mass deportation Efforts that sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon.
Urged to carry out arrests in North Carolina It extended to the surrounding areas The state capital of Raleigh Tuesday, spreading fear in at least one suburb crowded with immigrants.
The number of arrests has increased so far during what the government called “ Operation Charlotte’s Web “It was about double the total announced by Department of Homeland Security officials earlier this week. The agencies “continue to target some of the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” the department said in a statement.
Their targets include people living in the United States without legal authorization and those who allegedly have criminal records.
Federal officials provided few details about those detained. They’ve also remained quiet about the scope of the enforcement operations across North Carolina and where agents will show up next, keeping communities on edge.
The crackdown was met in Charlotte Pockets of resistance And protests.
About 100 people gathered outside a Home Depot store in Charlotte on Wednesday where federal agents have been spotted multiple times since the surge began. Protest organizers briefly entered the store carrying orange and white signs that read: “ICE OUT OF HOME DEPOT, PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES.”
The arrests in Charlotte had a chilling effect in immigrant neighborhoods, where school attendance dropped and small stores and restaurants closed their doors to avoid confrontations between agents and federal agents.
Fear has also spread to parts of Cary, a suburb of Raleigh, where officials say nearly 20% of the population was born outside the United States. At a shopping center featuring family-run ethnic restaurants, traffic was sparse and an Indian grocery store was mostly empty on Tuesday.
Just days after the crackdown began in North Carolina, Border Patrol agents did just that He is expected to arrive in New Orleans By the end of the week to begin preparing for the next big operation in southeastern Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three people familiar with the operation.
About 250 federal Border Patrol agents are scheduled to descend on New Orleans in the coming weeks to take part in a two-month crackdown on immigration that is expected to begin in earnest on December 1.
gregory bovino, The Border Patrol commander appointed to head the Louisiana sweep was on the ground in North Carolina this week, leading the operation there as well. Bovino became the Trump administration’s leader for widespread crackdowns and drew criticism over the tactics used to carry out the arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the operation. “For the safety and security of law enforcement, we will not be telegraphing potential operations,” spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.
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Associated Press reporters Eric Verduzco in Charlotte and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.