‘Climbing into the ceiling tiles’: DHS immigration raids hit Charlotte, where 1 in 6 residents are foreign-born

The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations have expanded to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Operation Charlotte’s Web launched on Saturday, as federal agents aimed to arrest criminal illegal aliens.

‘An illegal alien from Mexico gets deported 4 times, strolls back to Charlotte, then racks up a hit & run AND a DUI/DWI?’

Of the 900,000 residents in Charlotte, 150,000 are foreign-born, according to CBS News.

The Department of Homeland Security blamed “sanctuary politicians” for the state’s failure to honor 1,400 detainer requests, choosing instead to release offenders back onto the streets.

“Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t.”

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino stated that, on the first day alone, federal agents arrested over 80 individuals. He noted that most of those arrested have “significant criminal and immigration history.”

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Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

A leftist activist confronted Bovino over the weekend while federal agents were arresting an alleged illegal alien, according to a video uploaded to social media.

“Are you doing nice things?” the activist asked Bovino.

“Absolutely, making the community safer for you,” Bovino responded.

The Border Patrol commander highlighted some of the recent Charlotte arrests on X.

“Let’s paint this picture for you. An illegal alien from Mexico gets deported 4 times, strolls back to Charlotte, then racks up a hit & run AND a DUI/DWI?” Bovino wrote. “It’s time to go back home.”

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Gregory Bovino. Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

“Who’s at the same grocery store as you?” he wrote in a separate post. “This illegal alien from Honduras with a criminal history. He has arrests for aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon & DUI. He has also been removed from the U.S. twice, so now that he’s here AGAIN, he committed a felony by re-entering the U.S.”

Reports surfaced on Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot an individual amid the ongoing operations; however, those claims were debunked by McLaughlin.

“This criminal illegal alien from Mexico had a panic attack and was taken to the hospital where he attempted to escape by climbing into the ceiling tiles from the hospital bathroom. He was unsuccessful and was apprehended inside the ceiling by law enforcement,” McLaughlin stated. “He has a prior arrest for assault.”

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