Federal agents from U.S. Border Patrol are expected to arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend to search for and arrest illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city, prompting concerns from elected officials and the community.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told the Washington Examiner on Friday afternoon that the department is prepared for the arrival of hundreds of Border Patrol agents. Unlike in Chicago, the agents will be staying in privately owned hotels rather than at a military base.
“They’re here. They’re here. Listen, they are here in the hotels. They are here in the hotels,” McFadden said.
McFadden anticipated the agents will be going up into East Charlotte and South Boulevard.
“If you’re not familiar with Charlotte, those are the two unbelievable corridors of Latinos. And the sad part, two or three festivals or Latino activities were this weekend. They had to cancel it,” McFadden said. “Even the corporations here, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, they have contractors, legitimate contractors, but they, but they know some of the contractors help are undocumented immigrants. Construction sites have almost shut down. Restaurants almost shut down. Why? Because everybody lives in fear for a moment. It’s chaos, but it’s designed chaos.”
The agents will be coming from Chicago, where the Border Patrol has helped U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest 4,000 illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city, the Department of Homeland Security announced this week.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol’s chief of the El Centro, California, region and commander of ICE operations in Los Angeles and Chicago, is expected to lead the Charlotte effort, which could last several weeks to more than a month.
During the Trump administration’s crackdown on general crime in cities this summer, the Border Patrol opted to send in agents to cities nationwide to tackle crime, as well as illegal immigration.
Border Patrol made a very public entrance to Chicago in early October, parading down Michigan Avenue in tactical gear. Its arrival in Charlotte, a blue city in a red state, is expected to make waves given the city’s Democratic elected leaders and sanctuary status.
McFadden met with ICE in October and said it was a positive conversation that “turned out to be good.”
However, the sheriff said he has been kept out of the loop regarding what Border Patrol plans to do in the county, which could put federal police in a potentially dangerous situation if they need emergency backup while on patrol.
“Here’s what I say: communication, cooperation, collaboration. We don’t have to be friends, but give me those three, and we, then we are good,” McFadden said.
McFadden’s concern is that Border Patrol is coming in with a different understanding than he has with ICE.
“ICE is trying to play fair because they’re trying to change their image. [Border Patrol] is the bully,” McFadden said, adding that unlike ICE, Border Patrol is hitting the streets to make arrests of anyone found to be illegally present in the country, not specific individuals as is ICE’s Modus Operandi. “That’s going to be a lot of conflict. … They’re not going out for anything. They’re going for numbers.”
Former Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said Border Patrol’s strategy is not only about going after specific individuals who are illegal immigrants, but going into certain areas in a way that may look random to the public but serves a purpose.
“What most people don’t understand is that ‘targeted enforcement’ goes beyond just targeting criminal individuals. It also means targeting [tactics, techniques, and procedures], geographic areas (frequented by suspects or of operational advantage to them), networks, tools, infrastructure, etc.,” Owens wrote in a text message Friday.
“Most folks don’t think beyond the tactical, short-term impacts. Law enforcement operations also look at the long-term results. For example, it was never about simply putting Chapo Guzmán in jail. It was about dismantling the entire operation and thus the capability to harm the public,” Owens said. “When you look at it that way, you understand the operational goals and how the outcomes make more sense.”
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office was alerted on Wednesday by two federal officials that employees from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency would be arriving in Charlotte between Saturday and early next week.
Some in the community are on edge.
Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), whose district includes Charlotte, said on Thursday that she had serious concerns about the arrival of hundreds of federal agents.
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“I am extremely concerned about the deployment of U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents to Charlotte. 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,” Adams said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Border Patrol’s overseeing agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and ICE did not respond to requests for comment.