A federal immigration crackdown centered around North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, appeared to be tapering off Thursday, local law enforcement leaders said, but a Homeland Security official insisted the arrests would not let up.
The North Carolina operation that began last weekend was the most recent phase of Republican President Donald Trump's aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democrat-run cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles.
"The operation is not over and it is not ending anytime soon," said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Both the local sheriff and police department said earlier in the day that the crackdown, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests, appeared to be over less than a week after it began.
Federal officials have offered few details about those arrested or when and where agents will show up next.
But even as confusion swirled over whether Operation Charlotte's Web was on or off in North Carolina, immigration enforcement actions are taking place nationwide, often with far less media attention than the Border Patrol surges.
In one example, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested roughly 3,500 people over a six-week span in Houston.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement that federal officials confirmed that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation known as "Operation Charlotte's Web" had ended, but that agents would continue operating as they have in the past.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police posted on social media Thursday that it received "reliable information" that Border Patrol personnel involved with the operation had departed that morning.
Another statement attributed to an unnamed Homeland Security spokesperson said that federal agencies "continue to target some of the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens as Operation Charlotte's Web progresses," and that about 370 people have been arrested over the past five days.
Federal agents are expected to descend next on New Orleans for "Operation Swamp Sweep," a monthslong crackdown in southeast Louisiana. As many as 250 federal troops could arrive as soon as Friday for the operation expected to kick off at the beginning of December.
In North Carolina, agents — some heavily armed in tactical gear and unmarked vehicles — have carried out arrests in the Charlotte area and near the capital city of Raleigh.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, said Thursday she was hopeful the enforcement operation was winding down.
"I'm relieved for our community and the residents, businesses, and all those who were targeted and impacted by this intrusion," Lyles wrote on X.
"As we move forward, it is essential that we come together—not as separate groups divided by recent events, but as one Charlotte community."
North Carolina Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer called the crackdown a success.
Homeland Security leaders have said they brought the large operation to North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.
The crackdown in Charlotte was met with some resistance and protests. About 100 people gathered outside a Home Depot store in Charlotte on Wednesday, where federal agents were spotted multiple times during the surge.
Arrests in Charlotte and the Raleigh area created a chilling effect in immigrant neighborhoods — school attendance dropped, and small shops and restaurants closed to avoid confrontations between customers and federal agents.
Customers at a laundromat in Charlotte left behind their clothes in washers and dryers and ran out the doors after agents showed up over the weekend at nearby stores, said the laundromat's owner.
Immigration officials have blanketed the country since January, pushing detention counts to all-time highs above 60,000.
Big cities and small towns across the country are targeted daily amid higher-profile pushes in places such as Portland, Oregon, where more than 560 immigration arrests were made in October.
Smaller bursts of enforcement have popped up elsewhere.
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