Since Saturday, Customs and Border Protection agents have descended upon North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, arresting at least 130 people so far since the operation began over the weekend, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
This immigration enforcement operation, which federal law enforcement dubbed "Operation Charlotte's Web," comes as sanctuary cities and jurisdictions remain top targets for the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Locals in the city told Scripps News the operation was widespread, reaching stores, parking lots, a house of worship and a hospital.
Many of the encounters were captured on video.
One such video shows a man identified as a 46-year-old Honduran-U.S. citizen being stopped by Border Patrol agents. He tells them if they break his vehicle window, they will have to pay for it. After the window was smashed, agents forced the man out of his vehicle and threw him to the ground. He said he was stopped twice in 10 minutes, the second time he was exiting a restaurant with food.
In another instance a resident identified as a 73-year-old woman in east Charlotte captured video showing officers questioning a landscaper who was putting up Christmas tree lights on her lawn.
RELATED STORY | As ICE puts immigrants in 'Lone Star Lockup,' companies quietly cash in
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino touted on Sunday the swiftness of the operation, saying on social media that at least 81 people were arrested within 5 hours.
He said many of them had "significant criminal and immigration history."
The alleged criminal records, according to CBP, include either arrests or convictions for DUI/DWI, aggravated assault and entering the US illegally, among others.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said that he welcomed the removal of violent undocumented criminals from Charlotte by CBP but pushed back on the tactics being used by agents.
"Everyone wants to be safe and their communities. But the actions of too many federal agents are doing the exact opposite," Gov. Stein said in a video statement released Sunday. "In Charlotte, we've seen masked, heavily armed agents and pyramid military garb driving unmarked cars targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks. Going after landscapers simply decorating a Christmas tree in someone's front yard and entering churches and stores to grab people. This is not making us safer. It's stoking fear and dividing our community."
The Department of Homeland Security in a statement said they are pursuing criminals to protect public safety and blamed sanctuary policies for releasing "the worst of the worst" into cities like Charlotte.
