Federal immigration crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, has ended, sheriff’s office says

A federal immigration crackdown based in Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, is now over, a local law enforcement agency said Thursday.

The sheriff’s office in Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, said federal officials have confirmed with Sheriff Garry McFadden that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation known as ” Charlotte’s Web,” has officially concluded. No border agent operations will occur on Thursday, a news release from the sheriff’s office said.

“It is important to clarify that while the ‘Charlotte’s Web’ operation has ended, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will continue to operate in Mecklenburg County as they always have,” the news release said. “ICE maintains full authority to detain, apprehend, and take into custody any undocumented immigrant in accordance with federal law.” 

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection didn’t immediately respond Thursday to an Associated Press email seeking a response about the sheriff’s statement.

The operation that began in Charlotte over the weekend led to hundreds of arrests, according to authorities. It was part of President Trump’s aggressive mass deportation efforts, which have sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities, from Chicago to Los Angeles.  

The push to carry out arrests in North Carolina expanded to areas around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday.