Key takeaways

• DHS says over 250 people have been arrested around Charlotte under “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
• Federal agents say they are targeting undocumented people with criminal records.
• Local leaders and activists say the raids are spreading fear and hurting daily life in immigrant areas.
• Officials have given different messages about whether the Charlotte phase of the operation has ended.

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More than 250 people have been arrested in and around Charlotte, North Carolina, during a federal immigration operation called “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS says Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are mainly targeting people it calls “illegal aliens” with criminal records, including cases of domestic violence, assault, burglary and drunk driving. Officials say the statewide total has reached about 370 arrests.

The operation started around 15 November. It has focused on Charlotte but has also reached Raleigh and other parts of North Carolina as part of a wider immigration crackdown ordered by the Trump administration.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden say they were not warned in advance. They have criticized the raids and say many immigrant families are now afraid to go to school, work or shops. Some businesses in immigrant areas have stayed closed and protests have been held in the city.

There has been mixed messaging about how long the raids will last. Local officials said they were told the surge in Charlotte was over, but DHS later said immigration enforcement in North Carolina is still continuing, with agents also being sent to other regions.