Overview
- Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino said agents arrested 81 people in roughly five hours on Saturday, the operation’s first day.
- The deployment, branded Operation Charlotte’s Web, is led by Bovino, who previously oversaw high‑profile crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago.
- Homeland Security officials frame the mission as removing public‑safety threats, citing nearly 1,400 ICE detainers not honored in North Carolina.
- Charlotte leaders, including Mayor Vi Lyles, criticized the surge as causing fear, and the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department said it is not involved.
- Community groups reported widespread stops, protests, and business closures, with at least one U.S. citizen detained and later released after an encounter with agents.