Next Trump Crackdown in Charlotte, NC  11/14 06:07

   

   CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The latest city bracing for the Trump 
administration's immigration crackdown is Charlotte, North Carolina, which 
could see an influx of federal agents as early as this weekend, a county 
sheriff said Thursday.

   Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement that two 
federal officials confirmed a plan for U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
agents to start an enforcement operation Saturday or early next week in North 
Carolina's largest city. His office declined to identify those officials. 
McFadden said details about the operation haven't been disclosed and his office 
hasn't been asked to assist.

   Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin 
declined to comment, saying, "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation 
across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations."

   President Donald Trump has defended sending the military and immigration 
agents into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and even the 
nation's capital, saying the unprecedented operations are needed to fight crime 
and carry out his mass deportation agenda.

   Charlotte is another such Democratic stronghold. A statement of solidarity 
from several local and state officials estimated the city is home to more than 
150,000 foreign-born people. The city's population is about 40% white, 33% 
Black, 16% Hispanic and 7% Asian.

   The Trump administration has used this summer's fatal stabbing of Ukrainian 
refugee Iryna Zarutskahas on a light-rail train in Charlotte as proof that 
Democratic-led cities fail to protect their residents from violent crime. A man 
with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder.

   Activists, faith leaders, and local and state officials say they already 
started preparing the immigrant community for a crackdown, sharing information 
about resources and attempting to calm fears. Nearly 500 people participated in 
a call organized by the group CharlotteEAST on Wednesday.

   "The purpose of this call was to create a mutual aid network," said City 
Councilmember-Elect JD Mazuera Arias. CharlotteEAST executive director Greg 
Asciutto urged residents to connect with groups providing support.

   The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has clarified that it "has no 
authority to enforce federal immigration laws," and is not involved in planning 
or carrying out these operations.

   Mazuera Arias and others said they had already begun receiving unconfirmed 
reports of what appeared to be plainclothes officers in neighborhoods and on 
transit.

   "This is some of the chaos that we also saw in Chicago," state Sen. Caleb 
Theodros, who represents Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, said Thursday.

   Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief who led Customs and Border 
Protection's recent Chicago operation and was central to the immigration 
operation in Los Angeles, had been coy about where agents would target next.

   The Trump administration's " Operation Midway Blitz " began in the Chicago 
area in early September, over the objections of local leaders. It initially 
involved limited arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers 
in the suburbs but expanded to include hundreds of Customs and Border 
Protection agents.

   Their tactics grew increasingly aggressive. More than 3,200 people suspected 
of violating immigration laws have been arrested across the region.

   The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both immigration 
agencies, has offered few details on the arrests beyond highlighting a handful 
of people who were living in the U.S. without legal permission and had criminal 
records.

   The group Indivisible Charlotte and the Carolina Migrant Network will train 
volunteers Friday on what rights people have when interacting with immigration 
authorities and how to spot federal immigration agents.

   "They're not always wearing vests that say 'ICE,'" said Tony Siracusa, 
spokesperson for Indivisible Charlotte.

   The groups will also discuss potential "pop up protests," but he stressed 
that the activists weren't encouraging people to go get arrested.

   Siracusa said locals are "not freaking out, but very definitely concerned."

   Daniela Andrade, communications director at the Carolina Migrant Network, 
noted that organizers canceled a Hispanic heritage festival this year out of 
concerns about immigration enforcement. The group had been holding in-person 
"know your rights" sessions for immigrants since the beginning of the year but 
switched to virtual events even before Thursday's news.

   "It's the concern of family separation, of being removed from a community 
where many people have lived here for years," she said.