(The Center Square) – Immigration enforcement in North Carolina’s largest city could begin this weekend, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden says.
The second-term Democrat on Thursday said his office has not been asked to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The move to strengthen law enforcement in Charlotte, the nation’s 14th largest city and seventh largest of the 16-state South as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, is not being welcomed by a number of city leaders.
Multiple published reports say the Border Patrol agents working in and around Chicago are relocating to Charlotte and New Orleans. A social media post from Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for Public Affairs at Homeland Security, said, “We aren’t leaving Chicago.”
Concerns in other major American cities where the Trump administration has deployed the National Guard and immigration enforcement criticize deployments in relation to state sovereignty and federal overreach, and escalated tensions when there. Proponents of the deployments say success is in the volume of criminals removed from city streets, restoration of law and order, and safe discovery and return of youth and children caught up in human trafficking.
Social media messaging was released jointly by the group of state Democratic Rep. Jordan Lopez, and state Democratic Sens. Mujtaba Mohammed and Caleb Theodros, all of Mecklenburg County; county Commissioner Susan Rodrguez-McDowell; City Council member Dimple Ajmera; Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Liz Monterrey Duvall; and Charlotte City Council member-elect J.D. Mazuera Arias.
They wrote in part, “We want to speak directly to our immigrant neighbors: you are not alone and you belong here.”
State law enacted Oct. 1 requires lawmen to “attempt to determine if” any “prisoner is a legal resident or citizen of the United States by inquiry of the prisoner, or by examination of any relevant documents, or both” if the person is charged with a felony, Class A1 misdemeanor or driving while impaired.
In a statement released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, it said, “CMPD does not participate in ICE operations, nor are we involved in the planning of these federal activities.”
The message from state lawmakers, county and city leaders backed that up, saying Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers “are not required to ask about immigration status and will only become involved when criminal behavior warrants fall under their jurisdiction.”
They said more than 150,000 foreign-born residents live in the city of more than 944,000.
“Our message is simple: Mecklenburg County and Charlotte are communities of belonging,” the group wrote. “We will stand together, look out for one another, and ensure that fear never divides the city we call home.”
The Queen City snagged unwanted spotlight attention in early September when police released light rail train camera footage of a stabbing death. Iryna Zarutska was aboard on Aug. 22 and died on a public transit car. Decarlos Brown Jr. has been indicted on federal charges in her death.
Republican U.S. Reps. Rev. Mark Harris, Pat Harrigan and Chuck Edwards have asked first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein to activate National Guard troops in Charlotte. The city had one stretch of eight homicides in seven days and drew national attention for an Aug. 22 stabbing death on a light rail train.
“Charlotte’s immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by and watch my constituents be intimidated or harassed,” U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has sent the guard to the cities of Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis, with authorizations for Chicago and Portland blocked by judges.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a third-quarter safety report “showcasing a substantial decline in crime citywide.” The report says crime overall is down 8% and violent offenses are down 20%.
The report also says violent crimes in Charlotte from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 number 4,506. Zarutska’s death is one of 62 homicides. Those numbers for the same time period in 2024 were 5,622 and 82, respectively.
Charlotte has had increases in commercial burglaries (1,824, up from 1,751) and larcenies from automobiles (7,716, up from 7,697). The congressmen tell Stein that aggravated assaults involving knives and guns has risen from 86 to 111 this year, and personal strong-arm robberies are up from 26 to 31.
