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Federal Border Patrol agents hit the streets again on Sunday, their second day in a city home to a growing population of immigrants. It remains unclear how long they will stay.
Nov. 16, 2025, 2:14 p.m. ET
Federal Border Patrol agents detained 81 people in immigrant neighborhoods across the Charlotte, N.C., area on Saturday, the first day of an operation that has already drawn significant criticism over its aggressive tactics.
An immigrant rights group said it was the largest single-day tally for immigrant arrests in the state’s recent history.
The operation has startled people in one of the fastest growing cities in the country, one whose growth in recent years has been spurred by international migration, especially from Latin America. The border patrol agents fanned out across immigrant neighborhoods once again on Sunday, prompting many businesses that cater to immigrants to close for now.
A flea market that is typically filled with Hispanic vendors was canceled this weekend. Nightclubs in the city that play reggaeton music on Saturday nights decided not to open. Catholic churches were unusually empty on Sunday morning; immigrant advocates said that federal agents were present outside church parking lots.
Gregory Bovino, the leader of the Border Patrol operation in Charlotte, who also led agents in Chicago and Los Angeles earlier this year, has already declared the North Carolina mission to be a success. He posted photos on social media of five detained people who he said had criminal histories.
Neither Mr. Bovino, who is from western North Carolina, nor the Department of Homeland Security has said exactly how many of the 81 people arrested on Saturday had criminal histories.
