More than 250 people arrested in Charlotte as immigration crackdown escalates

More than 250 people have been arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of President Donald Trump’s escalating crackdown on undocumented immigrants, U.S. officials said.

Charlotte is the latest U.S. city targeted by Trump for sending federal troops, following similar measures in big cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles earlier this year. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told the BBC that those arrested were criminals and gang members.

But local lawmakers and residents fiercely opposed the detentions, which the federal government dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” The state’s Democratic governor claims people are being targeted because of their race.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement released Wednesday that the operation resulted in the arrests of “some of the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” including gang members.

The other arrestees were convicted of a range of crimes, including assault on a law enforcement officer, drunken driving, theft and tampering with government documents, the department said earlier.

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein condemned Trump’s actions, accusing agents of racially profiling residents.

“We’ve seen heavily armed agents in masks, paramilitary garb, driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling, and randomly grabbing people in parking lots,” Stein said Sunday. “It doesn’t make us safer.”

The city’s mayor, also a Democrat, urged federal agents to “respect” the city’s values. She also praised people who turned out in droves on Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s actions in the city.

“I’m deeply concerned about many of the videos I’ve seen,” Mayor Vi Lyles said. “To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not say how long the raids would last. The Chicago crackdown began in September and is still ongoing. Like other cities hit by immigration crackdowns, some immigrants in Charlotte are staying home for fear of federal agents in the city, local media reported.

Stein said he was following reports that the next move would be to Raleigh, another North Carolina city.

“I again call on federal agents to target violent criminals rather than neighbors walking down the street, going to church or putting up Christmas decorations,” he wrote.