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A2 u.s. news
Monday 17 noveMber 2025
Border Patrol commander touts dozens of North Carolina arrests

leaving residents 'overwhelmed'

SOPHIA TAREEN, BRIAN deployment of chemical
WITTE and MARYCLAIRE agents.
DALE Democratic leaders in both
Associated Press cities said that agents' pres-
A top Border Patrol com- ence inflamed community
mander touted dozens of tensions and led to vio-
arrests in North Carolina's lence.
largest city on Sunday as During the Chicago area
Charlotte residents report- operation, federal agents
ed encounters with federal fatally shot one suburban
immigration agents near man during an attempted
churches and apartment traffic stop.
complexes. Bovino and other Trump
The Trump administration administration officials
has made the Democratic have called the use of
city of about 950,000 peo- force appropriate for grow-
ple its latest target for an ing threats on agents' lives.
immigration enforcement The Department of Home-
surge it says will combat land Security, which over-
crime, despite fierce ob- sees CBP, did not respond
jections from local leaders to inquiries about the
and down trending crime Charlotte arrests. Bovino's
rates. spokesman did not return a
Gregory Bovino, who led People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. request for comment Sun-
hundreds of U.S. Customs (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco) day.
and Border Protection Elsewhere, DHS has not of-
agents on a similar opera- fered many details about
tion in Chicago, took to who it is arresting. For in-
social media to document stance in Chicago, the
some of the arrests he said agency only provided
had reached more than names and details on a
80. handful of its more than
He posted pictures of 3,000 arrests in the metro
people the Trump admin- region from September to
istration commonly dubs last week.
"criminal illegal aliens," for In several instances U.S. citi-
people living in the U.S. zens were handcuffed and
without legal permission detained during operations
who have alleged criminal and dozens of demonstra-
records. That included one tors were also charged, of-
of a man with an alleged ten in community clashes
history of drunk driving con- over arrests or protests.
victions. By Sunday, reports of CBP
"We arrested him, taking activity were "overwhelm-
him off the streets of Char- ing" and difficult to quan-
lotte so he can't continue tify, Greg Asciutto, execu-
to ignore our laws and tive director of the commu-
drive intoxicated on the nity development group
same roads you and your CharlotteEast, said in an
loved ones are on," Bovino email.
wrote on X. "The past two hours we've
The effort was dubbed "Op- received countless reports
eration Charlotte's Web" as of CBP activity at churches,
a play on the title of a fa- apartment complexes and
mous children's book that a hardware store," he said.
isn't about North Carolina. City council member-elect
But the flurry of activity im- JD Mazuera Arias said fed-
mediately raised questions, eral agents appeared to
including where detainees be focused on churches
would be held, how long and apartment complex-
the operation would run es.
and what agents' tactics "Houses of worship. I mean,
that have been heavily that's just awful," he said.
criticized elsewhere would "These are sanctuaries for
look like in North Carolina. people who are looking
Bovino's operations in Chi- for hope and faith in dark
cago and Los Angeles times like these and who
triggered a flurry of law- no longer can feel safe
suits and investigations because of the gross vio-
over questions about use lation of people's right to
of force, including wide worship."q