(The Center Square) – Three days of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Charlotte are in the books, and the arrests are piling up.
Raleigh is next on Tuesday.
Critics and protestors are getting heavy criticism for their actions now compared to when Iryna Zarutska was killed on a city light rail train. Supporters are hopeful a dent in international gang activity is being achieved, and public safety is being enhanced.
The battle line has fallen along the major party lines of Republicans (for it) and Democrats (against). While there have been protest scenes and even attempts to stop lawmen from their work in Charlotte, there were no protests when Zarutska was killed.
Decarlos Brown is the suspect charged with first-degree murder of Zarutska and indicted by a federal grand jury. Zarutska was aboard a light rail train in North Carolina’s largest city on Aug. 22 when she died.
Video evidence released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and a signed affidavit with still shots from the video shows Brown, 34, stabbing her to death. Brown is not someone who came illegally into the country.
On Monday, U.S. Homeland Security led by Secretary Kristi Noem said Operation Charlotte’s Web netted 130 arrests of people illegally in America over the first two days. Criminal records of 44 of them included aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer, battery, driving under the influence, and hit-and-run.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday night said 450,000 migrant children nationwide are being sought in order to reunite them with families.
In a statement, Homeland Security said, “There is absolutely no excuse to continue allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize our American communities. These are violent assailants, gang members, and repeat offenders who have zero regard for the rule of law in our country. They are here illegally and should never have been here in the first place.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our communities once and for all.”
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has sent the National Guard to the cities of Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis, with authorizations for Chicago and Portland blocked by judges. Throughout his second term since Jan. 20, regional offices of Enforcement and Removal Operations, the FBI led by Kash Patel, and Homeland Security led by Noem have spotlighted removal by the thousands of people illegally in the United States.
In North Carolina, three members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 5 asked first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein to deploy the National Guard to Charlotte. The former two-term state attorney general refused.
The efforts to enforce the nation’s laws have been met by sympathizers, many holding protests and others – including media outlets and elected politicians – suggesting ways for immigrants illegally in the country to avoid federal lawmen. There are accusations of mistreatment, including by Stein; and there are accusations of lawmen such as county sheriffs failing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In North Carolina, it is illegal for any of the 100 county sheriffs or their deputies to not cooperate with ICE. Former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a four-term top prosecutor in the state, three times vetoed legislation of the requirement; the last was overturned by the General Assembly in 2024.
Published reports say about 15% of students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools did not attend the 185 public schools on Monday.
In a statement, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in part, “The rights and constitutional protections of every person in Charlotte – regardless of immigration status – must be upheld. Our city has a long-standing commitment to fairness, dignity and justice.”
