20 arrested after religious leaders protest outside ICE facility
More than 20 people were arrested during a protest by religious leaders outside a federal immigration facility near Chicago.
Federal authorities conducted a raid on a banking hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 15, expanding a crackdown on illegal immigration in the South, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are rushing DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure the safety of Americans and the removal of the threat to public safety,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Too many victims of criminal illegal aliens.”
DHS, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, did not provide details of the operation, including the number of law enforcement officers involved or the number of people detained.
But authorities blamed North Carolina authorities, saying they refused to detain the suspects as sought by immigration authorities, leading to Saturday’s operation.
DHS said North Carolina has not responded to immigration officials’ requests to hold about 1,400 “detainees,” or suspects, for up to 48 hours beyond the time they would normally be released.
The North Carolina Governor’s Office and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles and city commissioners on Nov. 15 urged people to seek help from agencies such as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department, which are not participating in the federal raid.
“There are a number of organizations ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance regarding immigration matters,” city officials said in a statement.
The raid reportedly caused fear and anxiety in Charlotte, as similar operations have taken place in other cities and people with no criminal records were detained.
Local leaders said they were informed in advance that the CBP operation would begin over the weekend. Democratic Rep. Alma Adams said she was “very concerned” about Border Patrol and ICE agents coming to Charlotte.
“Charlotte’s immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by while my voters are intimidated and harassed,” Adams wrote on X.
Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol agent who has been leading Trump’s aggressive crackdown in Chicago since September, responded to Adams by saying she and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, should “learn the difference between an illegal alien and an immigrant.”
ICE detention requests have increased dramatically since Republican President Donald Trump took office, from an average of about 400 people a day during the same period last year to about 700 people a day through early June, according to a Reuters analysis of ICE data collected by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley.
President Trump has focused on ramping up immigration arrests in Democratic-led cities, with large-scale efforts taking place in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington in recent months.
Border Patrol agents in Chicago have contributed to an increase in immigrant arrests, but protesters and some residents say they are using excessive force, including deploying tear gas in crowded urban areas.
A Chicago-based federal judge has barred immigration officers from using some aggressive tactics and ordered them to wear body cameras after videos cited in the lawsuit showed violent confrontations with protesters.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Sergio Non, Franklin Paul and Christian Schmollinger)
