North Carolina: The Latest “Border State” Battleground
Local, grassroots leaders rise to the occasion as federal agents terrorize neighborhoods
Where is North Carolina’s top political leadership?
Border Patrol is violating the sanctity of places of worship, family homes, worksites, and community parks. On Friday, November 14th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set its sights on Charlotte and Raleigh, and videos and photos have since surfaced of agents engaging in inhumane, chaotic, violent behavior, including:
Smashing a truck window and sending glass pieces flying into a legal resident
Rushing a church parking lot to arrest one and attempting to grab others as well
Arresting U.S. citizens for honking their car horn
Kidnapping and then dumping a U.S. citizen on the side of the road
All while cowering behind masks and shielding badge numbers in possible violation of North Carolina state law. In response, North Carolina’s top political leadership has sent their version of thoughts and prayers through a handful of public statements.
Why is Border Patrol in North Carolina, a state well over 1,500 miles away from the southern border? According to federal law, Border Patrol has the right to operate anywhere within 100 miles of a U.S. border or port of entry. Raleigh and Charlotte are both designated ports of entry. A DHS press release claimed that “criminal illegal aliens…flocked to the Tar Heel State because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”
Par for the course for this administration, that is not the whole truth. “Sanctuary city” does not have a universally accepted definition, however the general idea is that these cities cannot be compelled to take part in immigration enforcement. By these terms, North Carolina would have zero sanctuary cities. NC law enforcement has a signed MOU with ICE and is required to “cooperate to the fullest extent allowed by law.” Additionally, North Carolina is under Dillon Rule, which restricts local governing power to what the General Assembly (currently ruled by a gerrymandered Republican majority) grants. Ergo, no sanctuary cities.
Again we ask, why is Border Patrol in North Carolina? Well, minority groups account for 40% of the state’s population and its Hispanic and Asian populations are rapidly growing. The population gap between white and non-white groups is statistically, and noticeably, closing. Is this possibly such a cause for concern that North Carolina is now an immigration battleground state?
Border Patrol is calling the invasion Operation Charlotte’s Web, a misbegotten nod to a beloved children’s book all the more cruel given that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County School System has reported more than double the typical rate of absences since the operation’s launch. Recently reprimanded Commander Gregory Bovino took to X to mockingly quote the scene in Charlotte’s Web when the heroine’s baby spiders are released into the air, attempting to draw a parallel to Border Patrol “ejecting” immigrants from Carolinian communities.
Abel, a naturalized U.S. citizen and North Carolina resident, detailed to The Contrarian how detention operations in the state have changed drastically since January 2025. Border Patrol and ICE “used to be [a] smaller, newer organization” in 2003, Abel explains, with “more precise” detention practices. Whereas once three or four agents would arrive in one car with a valid judicial warrant, Abel and his community are now seeing flashier, more haphazard operations “based on what I would call stereotypes.”
For the past week, Border Patrol and ICE have stalked Home Depot construction sites where day laborers pick up ad hoc work, using permit records to target likely “immigrant” spots. These stop-and-grab operations have caused brown and black Carolinians to stay home, change cars, and rely on neighbors to walk their kids home from the bus stop. One of Abel’s workers ditched his work van and “came to [the] workplace with his regular car so he wouldn’t be stopped and harassed by ICE.” The worker also fears for his safety at home, after one of his neighbors was targeted and arrested.
Abel himself was detained in 2011, released, and then detained again for longer. The second time, they moved to deport him, even buying tickets back to his country of origin. It took a successful change.org petition to secure his release. He still bears the psychological scars. The “fear never goes away,” he explains. “Even though you are legal here… I see [detained citizens] on TV. It just makes me worried ….. as normal people, you cannot even imagine.”
With Southern stubbornness and grit, North Carolinians are organizing across the state to protest and protect. Border Patrol agents woke up Tuesday morning to slashed tires and were confronted at a barbershop on Wednesday by a Dominican man on Instagram Live. Both Charlotte and Raleigh’s ICE OUT protests saw a huge turnout and Mecklenburg County students staged large walkouts in protest. Neighborhood mothers are forming daily “safety lines” for school children at a bus stops. Charlotte City Council put forth a measure to distribute funding for residents affected by ICE and Border Patrol activity.
North Carolinians are also tracking and warning. Siembra NC released OJO Obrero, a digital tool to track confirmed reports of federal immigration agents. However, as of November 21st, it seems that the tracker has been taken down. Siembra still has the La Migra Hotline to report ICE activity. Hundreds of Charlotteans joined Siembra’s Resist ICE training. Wake County Indivisible is holding emergency kit making events and coordinating grocery drops. Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Charlotte promises that if Border Patrol steps on church property, the Vatican will be immediately notified, per request from the Vatican.
When one compares community outrage and action against North Carolina’s top political leadership, the contrast is stark. The mayors of Charlotte and Raleigh both declined to comment beyond a few public statements and Governor Stein has yet to make any movements regarding Border Patrol or ICE, though he has issued statements condemning the federal agents’ actions. Council leadership in Durham has issued the strongest response of all the cities affected, holding outdoor press conferences and filming Border Patrol operations. Abysmal action is especially worrying when DHS makes announcements that operations in North Carolina are “not over and…not ending anytime soon.”
Compared to responses from Mayor Johnson, Governor Pritzker, Governor Newsom, and Mayor Bass, North Carolina has faltered. Southern elites too often handle intense situations like they do arguments between family members: square their shoulders, pivot, and keep the peace by any means necessary. Maintaining stability should not come at the cost of inaction.
Livelihoods are on the line in North Carolina. Businesses are shuttering, families are being ripped apart, and civilians are experiencing state-sponsored violence. State and mayoral leadership should follow the example of their brave constituents. The path for action is narrower than available to home rule cities, but North Carolina’s top leadership could be speaking at protests, filing lawsuits against the use of violent and unnecessary force, and directing additional resources to affected communities. North Carolinians are speaking their piece, and the political elites need to do more than listen.
Ciera Stone is the editorial associate at The Contrarian. She received a master of arts at the University of Notre Dame with a specialization in international peace, global affairs, and justice.
Having a son who, with his mixed family, lives in NC, and having worked in the state, I would point out that many of the people there still use the word "boy". They often don't use the word to describe a male child.
When interacting with folks in NC, hospitality is wonderful, but conditional. More than once, I've had the Civil War tossed in my face, unprompted, with the comment, "The score is 3-0 at halftime.
We are born and bred civil Wisconsin folk. I prefer to stay away from NC unless absolutely necessary.
Not a good look, Gov Stein. You need to step up NOW.