Local authorities say federal immigration agents are planning just that Target the largest city in North CarolinaThis prompted activists, elected officials and community groups to monitor any sweeps and support vulnerable Charlotte residents.
The federal government did not announce the move publicly. But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden said he was informed US Customs and Border Protection The enforcement process could begin on Saturday or shortly after the weekend.
It will be another step in Trump administration strategy To put immigration agents or the military on the streets of some of America’s largest cities run by Democrats. This campaign has caused fear and anxiety, especially among people without legal status in the United States, and has sparked a number of lawsuits challenging these tactics.
Here’s what you should know:
Charlotte is an ethnically diverse city, with a population of more than 900,000 people, including more than 150,000 foreign-born, according to local officials. It is run by a Democratic mayor, although North Carolina’s two U.S. senators are Republicans, and President Donald Trump has won the state all three times he has run for office.
Crime rates are down this year, through August, compared to the same eight-month period in 2024, with murders, rapes, robberies and carjackings down more than 20%, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks crime across the country using local data for its analyses. Real time crime index.
But the Trump administration used the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in August Irina Zarutskaha on the Charlotte light rail as evidence that Democratic-led cities are failing to protect residents. A man with a long criminal record has been charged with murder.
However, there is no indication that border agents could have a role in enforcing local or state laws.
Critics described the arrival of border agents as an invasion. Local groups train volunteers to safely protest and document any migration campaigns. They also inform immigrants of their rights.
“We’ve seen what happened in other cities across this country when the federal government got involved,” State Rep. Jordan Lopez said.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez McDowell urged the public to “face the moment peacefully” and “minimize panic.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said it does not have federal immigration enforcement authority and is not involved in Customs and Border Protection operations.
There is no indication that the National Guard will go to Charlotte, although three Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation urged Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to make that request.
The governor’s office said local police are the best option for keeping neighborhoods safe.
The Trump administration has deployed the Guard in District of Columbia and Los Angeles areaciting crime and the need to protect immigration agents, and Memphis, Tennessee. The judge has so far suspended the guards from… Working in the Chicago area.
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Associated Press reporter Christopher L. Keller is from Albuquerque, New Mexico.