Daijiworld Media Network – Charlotte

Charlotte, Nov 16: A wave of tension swept through Charlotte as federal agents poured into the city under “Operation Charlotte’s Web”, a large-scale immigration crackdown rolled out by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The operation, announced on Saturday, targets what DHS described as “criminal illegal aliens” in the Democratic-led city.

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has intensified nationwide deportation drives, deploying federal forces to major cities including Washington DC, Los Angeles and Chicago. Charlotte is the latest addition to that list, drawing sharp criticism from local leaders.

In a strongly worded joint statement, Charlotte Mayor Li Vyles and other officials condemned the raids, calling them a source of “unnecessary fear and uncertainty” among residents.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, however, defended the operation, claiming North Carolina’s failure to honour nearly 1,400 ICE detainers left federal authorities with “no choice but to act”.

Internal documents obtained by CBS News indicate that armoured vehicles and special operations teams may be involved in the North Charlotte push. The aggressive posture has already rattled communities: in one incident reported by The Charlotte Observer, several people doing yard work at a church fled into nearby woods as agents arrived. One man was detained.

“We thought church was safe… nothing was gonna happen,” a 15-year-old witness told the paper, capturing the fear gripping immigrant communities.

Although Charlotte is not a sanctuary city, it is a certified welcoming city committed to immigrant inclusion – a status now at odds with the federal crackdown.

Community organisations have stepped in, offering legal assistance to those affected. Local leaders and lawmakers, including Democratic Representative Alma Adams, expressed “extreme concern” over the scale of the operation.

DHS has not disclosed how long the raids will continue. Meanwhile, crackdowns in other cities such as Chicago, which began in September, remain active months later. According to CBS, the next city in line is New Orleans, where up to 200 federal agents could be deployed.

With nearly 17% of Charlotte’s population born outside the US, fears continue to mount over the impact of the operation on one of the state’s most diverse urban communities.