North Carolina city braces for Border Patrol agents and immigration
sweeps. Here's what to know
[November 15, 2025]
By ED WHITE
Local authorities say federal immigration agents plan to target North
Carolina's largest city, prompting activists, elected officials and
community groups to monitor any sweeps and support vulnerable Charlotte
residents.
The federal government has not publicly announced the move. But
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said he was informed that U.S.
Customs and Border Protection could start an enforcement operation
Saturday or soon after the weekend.
It would be another step in the Trump administration's strategy of
putting immigration agents or the military on the streets of some of
America's largest cities run by Democrats. The push has caused fear and
anxiety, especially among people who don't have legal status in the
U.S., and sparked a number of lawsuits challenging the tactics.
Here’s what to know:
Why would agents go to Charlotte?
Charlotte is a racially diverse city of more than 900,000 residents,
including more than 150,000 who are foreign-born, according to local
officials. It is run by a Democratic mayor, though North Carolina's two
U.S. senators are Republican and President Donald Trump won the state
all three times that he's run for office.
Crime was down this year, through August, compared to the same
eight-month period in 2024, with homicides, rapes, robberies and motor
vehicle thefts decreasing by more than 20%, according to AH Datalytics,
which tracks crime across the country using local data for its Real-Time
Crime Index.
But the Trump administration has used the August fatal stabbing of
Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskaha on a Charlotte light-rail train as
evidence that Democratic-led cities fail to protect residents. A man
with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder.
There is no indication, however, that border agents could or would have
a role in enforcing local or state laws.
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A sign in Spanish that reads at top: "Know Your Rights" is displayed
outside of a restaurant store front, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in
Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
How have locals reacted?
Critics have described the arrival of border agents as an invasion.
Local groups are training volunteers to protest and to safely
document any immigration sweeps. They’re also informing immigrants
of their rights.
“We’ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country
when the federal government gets involved,” state Rep. Jordan Lopez
said.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell urged the
public to “meet the moment peacefully" and "reduce panic.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has said it has no
authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in
operations by Customs and Border Protection.
Is the National Guard involved?
There is no sign that the National Guard will go to Charlotte,
though three Republican members of North Carolina's congressional
delegation have urged Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to
make that request.
The governor's office said local police are a better choice to keep
neighborhoods safe.
The Trump administration has deployed the Guard to the District of
Columbia and the Los Angeles area, citing crime and a need to
protect immigration agents, and Memphis, Tennessee. A judge so far
has stopped the Guard from working in the Chicago area.
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AP reporter Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New
Mexico.
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