CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a fervent stand against a looming federal immigration crackdown, officials and community leaders in North Carolina’s largest city have branded the impending operation as an “invasion.” They are calling on Charlotte residents to engage in peaceful protests and to discreetly document the actions of federal agents from a safe distance.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, who has deep personal ties to the immigrant community, voiced her concerns, stating, “We are navigating through profoundly unusual times. It’s a period marked by a felonious former reality TV star at the helm of our nation. We’ve seen this drama unfold before, and now they’re looking to create another episode of the Shock and Awe show right here in Charlotte.”

This pressing call to action was sparked after Sheriff Garry McFadden disclosed that unnamed federal officials had informed him of an impending enforcement operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, potentially starting as early as Saturday or early next week. While the Department of Homeland Security, which supervises CBP, has remained tight-lipped about future operations, the community braces for enforcement actions reminiscent of those seen in Chicago and other cities with Democratic leadership.

State Representative Jordan Lopez echoed these concerns, reflecting on past experiences, “We have observed the federal government’s involvement in other cities. We’ve witnessed undisciplined agents brandishing weapons at unarmed civilians and the indiscriminate raids of homes in the dead of night in Chicago. It’s a troubling portrayal of law enforcement at its worst.”

Despite the absence of formal communication from President Donald Trump’s administration regarding a targeted mission in Charlotte, local organizations are not standing idle. They are actively training volunteers on protest strategies and the safe documentation of any federal sweeps, while also educating immigrants about their rights in such scenarios.

Héctor Vaca, training and immigrant justice director for the group Action NC, said they’re reacting to an “invasion” and “racist campaign of terror” by the Trump administration.

Trump has defended sending the National Guard and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and even the nation’s capital, saying the unprecedented operations are needed to fight crime and carry out his mass deportation agenda.

Charlotte is another such Democratic stronghold. A statement of solidarity from several local and state officials estimated the city is home to more than 150,000 foreign-born people. The city’s population is about 40% white, 33% Black, 16% Hispanic and 7% Asian.

The Trump administration has used this summer’s fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte as proof that Democratic-led cities fail to protect their residents from violent crime. A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder in that case.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has clarified that it doesn’t have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws and isn’t involved in planning or carrying out such operations.

Council member-elect JD Mazuera Arias, a Colombian who grew up in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen in 2021, said he knows what it’s like to fear a knock at the door and pledged that local resources and tax dollars won’t go toward immigration enforcement operations. He said sweeps like those in Chicago have been about “quotas” and “control,” not public safety or rounding up hardened criminals.

“Our Queen City will not become a staging ground for fear,” said the incoming councilman, who ran to represent East Charlotte, an area with a large immigrant population. “We will not confuse cruelty with safety. And we will not allow the politics of intimidation to define who belongs here.”

Cameron Pruette, executive director of the city’s Freedom Center for Social Justice, urged listeners to shop at immigrant-owned businesses and to “peacefully and prayerfully and with moral clarity take action in this moment.”

“We have seen Border Patrol use helicopters on civilian buildings and not apologize,” he said. “This is about the color of someone’s skin, about where they come from, and about causing fear and division. So, I ask everyone: Take action, stand together, and we will get through this.”