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The Trump administration has initiated a new immigration enforcement operation in North Carolina’s largest city, dubbing it “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
This name, however, has drawn criticism from Martha White, the granddaughter of E.B. White, the author of the cherished 1952 children’s book “Charlotte’s Web.” She argues that the operation contradicts the principles her grandfather and his work embodied.
“He valued the rule of law and the importance of due process,” Martha White remarked in a statement. “He undoubtedly would have disapproved of anonymous individuals in unmarked vehicles conducting raids on homes and workplaces without proper identification or warrants.”
As the literary executor of her grandfather’s estate, White highlighted the narrative of “Charlotte’s Web,” where the titular spider dedicates herself to saving Wilbur the pig from slaughter, underscoring themes of freedom and compassion.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has utilized catchy names for its immigration enforcement efforts, having previously named detention centers with monikers such as Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, Speedway Slammer in Indiana, and Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska.
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official now on the ground in Charlotte, was the face of the “Operation At Large” in Los Angeles and “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, two enforcement surges earlier this year. As the Charlotte operation got underway, Bovino quoted from “Charlotte’s Web” in a social media post: “We take to the breeze, we go as we please.”