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Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina became the latest cities to see federal forces move in. Here’s a rundown of what’s going on in each place.
Nov. 18, 2025, 2:14 p.m. ET
The Trump administration’s strategy of using federal agents and troops to enforce immigration laws and what it says is a bid to reduce crime in U.S. cities has extended to North Carolina. Border Patrol agents made scores of arrests in Charlotte over the weekend and then moved into the Raleigh area on Tuesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been heavily involved in many of the cities. National Guard troops have been called in to help in a few of them. In other cities, the federal intervention has involved agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Here is how federal forces have been used in cities:
Charlotte: How long will federal forces be there?
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The federal operation in Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, began on Saturday, and it was uncertain how long it would last. The city’s booming Latin American population, which has helped fuel the city’s growth as a Southern business hub, drew the attention of the Trump administration, whose focus has been on Democratic-led cities with large immigrant communities.
Border Patrol agents made more than 130 arrests in the city over the weekend. The agents are led by Gregory Bovino, a senior official in the agency who is from western North Carolina and who has directed similar operations in Chicago and Los Angeles this year.
The use of the Border Patrol, an arm of Customs and Border Protection that has focused primarily on the nation’s southern border in recent years, is an example of how the Trump administration has expanded the scope of some of its agencies. In the past, the Border Patrol has operated mostly near a land or maritime border, whereas ICE typically operates inside the United States. (The Border Patrol and ICE are each part of the Department of Homeland Security.)
