Overview
- Mayor Janet Cowell says CBP personnel are in Raleigh with operations planned, the city did not request the deployment, details on scope and targets remain unknown, and local police are not enforcing immigration laws.
- DHS reports roughly 130 detentions from the Charlotte phase since the weekend, with Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino citing 81 arrests in the operation’s first five hours.
- Federal officials say 44 people taken into custody have serious criminal records and some alleged gang ties, framing the crackdown as enforcement of about 1,400 unserved ICE detainers.
- Residents and state leaders allege aggressive and racially biased tactics in Charlotte, including masked agents, unmarked vehicles and an initial action at an east Charlotte church, which federal authorities counter by emphasizing criminality among arrestees.
- Civil‑liberties groups, including the ACLU, are advising immigrants to invoke the right to remain silent and request an attorney to protect themselves during encounters with federal agents.