Charlotte, North Carolina – The latest city to prepare for a Trump administration Immigration The crackdown is Charlotte, North Carolina, which could see an influx of federal agents as early as this weekend, the county’s sheriff said Thursday.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden said in a statement that two federal officials have confirmed there is a plan to do so US Customs and Border Protection Agents to begin an enforcement operation Saturday or early next week in North Carolina’s largest city. His office declined to identify these officials. McFadden said details of the operation have not been released and his office has not been asked for assistance.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin declined to comment, saying, “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the land across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations.”
president Donald Trump He advocated sending the military and immigration agents to Democratic-run cities like… Los Angeles, chicago Even the country’s capital said Unprecedented operations There is a need to fight crime and implement the mass deportation agenda.
Charlotte is another Democratic stronghold. A statement of solidarity issued by several local and international officials estimated that the city is home to more than 150,000 foreign-born people. The city’s population is about 40% white, 33% black, 16% Hispanic, and 7% Asian.
The Trump administration used the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee this summer Irina Zarutskahas On a light rail in Charlotte as evidence of the failure of Democratic-led cities to protect their residents from violent crime. A man with a long criminal record has been charged with murder.
Activists, religious leaders, local and state officials say they have already begun preparing the immigrant community for the crackdown, sharing information about resources and trying to allay fears. Nearly 500 people participated in a call organized by the group CharlotteEAST on Wednesday.
“The purpose of this call was to create a mutual aid network,” said City Councilman-elect J.D. Mazuera Arias. Greg Asciuto, executive director of Charlotte East, urged residents to reach out to groups offering support.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department explained that it “has no authority to enforce federal immigration laws” and that it is not involved in planning or carrying out these operations.
Mazuera Arias and others said they had already begun receiving unconfirmed reports of what appeared to be plainclothes officers in neighborhoods and on transportation.
“This is some of the chaos we’ve also seen in Chicago,” state Sen. Caleb Theodoros, who represents Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, said Thursday.
Gregory Bovinothe Border Patrol chief who led Customs and Border Protection’s recent Chicago operation and was central to the immigration operation in Los Angeles, was coy about where agents would target next.
Trump administration” Operation Midway Blitz “It started in the Chicago area in early September, On objections From local leaders. It initially involved limited apprehensions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the suburbs, but expanded to include hundreds of Customs and Border Protection agents.
Their tactics grew Increasingly aggressive. More than 3,200 people suspected of violating immigration laws were arrested across the region.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the two immigration agencies, provided few details about the arrests other than highlighting a handful of people who were living in the United States without legal authorization and had criminal records.
The group Indivisible Charlotte and the Carolina Migrant Network will train volunteers Friday on the rights people have when dealing with immigration authorities and how to spot federal immigration agents.
“They don’t always wear vests that say ‘ICE,’” said Tony Siracusa, spokesman for Indivisible Charlotte.
The groups will also discuss potential “pop-up protests,” but he stressed that activists have not encouraged people to be arrested.
Local residents “are not afraid, but they are definitely concerned,” Siracusa said.
Daniela Andrade, communications director for the Carolinas Immigrant Network, noted that organizers canceled a Hispanic heritage festival this year due to concerns about immigration enforcement. The group had been holding in-person “Know Your Rights” sessions for immigrants since the beginning of the year but shifted to virtual events even before Thursday’s news.
“It’s the anxiety of family separation, of being removed from a community where a lot of people have been here for years,” she said.
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The strain was reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Associated Press writer Sophia Tarin in Chicago contributed to this report.