In a significant move on immigration enforcement, federal agents initiated a sweeping crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend.

Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol were observed conducting arrests throughout the city, which boasts a population exceeding 900,000, as reported by the Associated Press.

This operation aligns with a federal directive aimed at ensuring the safety of Americans and addressing public safety concerns, explained Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A video snapshot provided by Rheba Hamilton captures U.S. Border Patrol agents exiting a yard after approaching two individuals who were setting up lights in Charlotte on November 15, 2025. (Rheba Hamilton via AP)

McLaughlin emphasized in a statement that Americans deserve to live without the threat of violence from criminal illegal aliens, which could endanger them, their families, or their communities.

However, some local leaders swiftly condemned the raids. 

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, along with Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Stephanie Sneed, said in a joint statement the actions are “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.”

A sign in Spanish that reads at top: “Know Your Rights” is displayed outside a restaurant storefront on Nov. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

“We want people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to know we stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives,” said the statement.

Honduran-born U.S. citizen Willy Aceituno told the Associated Press he saw “a lot of Latinos running” as Border Patrol agents chased them Saturday. He said he was also stopped twice.

The operation comes months after the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, aboard a Charlotte light-rail train.

It also follows similar immigration enforcement raids recently conducted in California, Illinois, Oregon and New York.

Protesters march through uptown after gathering at First Ward Park for the “No Border Patrol In Charlotte” rally on November 15, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

On Friday, local leaders encouraged Charlotte residents to protest peacefully and record agents’ actions from a distance, condemning the Trump administration’s actions in targeting migrants during sweeps in other cities across the country.

“We are living in the strangest of times,” Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said Friday.

The leaders came together a day after Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden announced that federal officials notified him that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents would begin an immigration enforcement operation in the community by Saturday or early this coming week.

DHS and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.