US Border Patrol could soon make its way to Charlotte, news reports say

U.S. Border patrol could soon be on their way to Charlotte, according to reports from CBS News and CNN.

U.S. officials told the national outlets Monday that some border patrol agents could be leaving their monthslong stay in Chicago as early as this week and shift to Charlotte and New Orleans for operations that are expected to begin this month.

The U.S. officials stressed that plans on these operations are still being finalized. The U.S. Border Patrol has been sent to cities as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

U.S. Border Patrol acts as the law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The organization is deputized with protecting the country’s borders from smugglers, traffickers and illegal crossers.

Usually their focus is on the borders between the United States and Mexico and United States and Canada. While they have arrested people in U.S. cities in the past, operations by the U.S. Border Patrol away from these designated borders is not common, according to the New York Times.

Most recently, U.S. Border Patrol had more than 200 agents stationed in Chicago, taking a lead role in the Trump Administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. Since September, border patrol agents have arrested 1,500 people, according to CBS News.

According to news reports, federal agents roamed the city and suburbs questioning people and used tear gas on residents and local police.

“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of homeland security, told McClatchy on Tuesday.

Reaction in North Carolina

Carolina Migrant Network, which operates the Charlotte area’s only ICE hotline, said it is preparing for more possible ICE activity amid reports of federal agents being diverted to the region, according to co-director and immigration attorney Becca O’Neill.

The hotline alerts the community to any activity after trained volunteers confirm whether reported immigration actions involve ICE or another law enforcement group. The network also employs two full-time attorneys who represent people detained by federal authorities, though O’Neill said demand for that help already exceeds capacity. She said she hopes North Carolinians will show solidarity to those targeted by ICE and protest any efforts to detain immigrants.

“As someone who represents individuals detained by DHS, I implore those in our community who aren’t targeted by ICE to consider the daily fear, anxiety, and terror that grips many non-citizens,” O’Neill said. “Charlotte is my hometown … and we believe Charlotte will rise to this occasion and send a message that we protect each other.”

Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden issued a statement Tuesday evening that said no federal officials, formally or informally, had updated him or CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings about any plan for a federal immigration operation. He said federal officials should communicate with local officials to help ensure safety.

Local immigration attorney Andrés López was hopeful the news was not true.

“It’s almost like the wild, wild west. That’s what I’ve been observing, as far as what’s been going on in Chicago or Los Angeles. The thought of that coming to Charlotte is upsetting and disconcerting,” he said.

President Donald Trump campaigned on getting rid of criminals, López said, and pulled a “bait and switch” that was seen in Chicago and elsewhere as ordinary people were rounded up.

“We shouldn’t be going after grandmothers who make tortillas. We shouldn’t be pursuing the father who is helping build Charlotte with construction,” he said.

The Trump administration has used federal agencies as part of his immigration and crime crackdowns in other places across the U.S. In an attempt to steady protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles, Trump federalized the California National Guard and sent members of the U.S. Marine Corps, according to NPR. In September, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard was illegal.

There, federal agents with tactical gear, armored trucks and rifles clashed with protestors, according to the New York Times. Officers used pepper spray and less-than-lethal projectiles on protestors.

Washington correspondent Danielle Battaglia and Charlotte Observer reporters Nora O’Neill and Ryan Oehrli contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 2:20 PM with the headline "US Border Patrol could soon make its way to Charlotte, news reports say."