Border Patrol Arrests 81 Criminal Illegal Immigrants on 1st Day of Charlotte Operation

One man who was arrested on Sunday had an alleged history of drunk driving incidents, the commander at large said.

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents leave a yard after approaching two men hanging lights in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 15, 2025. Rheba Hamilton via AP

A lead Border Patrol commander announced dozens of arrests of criminal illegal aliens detained in North Carolina’s largest city on Nov. 16.

The Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday it was launching “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” sending a surge of law enforcement resources to Charlotte in the latest episode in the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement in major U.S. cities.

The agency included a list of people who it said were “the worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants that had been “RELEASED back on to North Carolina’s streets because of sanctuary policies.”

Gregory Bovino, who serves as commander at large of the U.S. Border Patrol and led hundreds of Customs and Border Protection agents in a previous operation in Chicago, documented several of the arrests on social media on Sunday, which he said had risen to 81.

The posts included pictures of some of the people the Trump administration had detained in Charlotte.

One man who was arrested on Sunday had an alleged history of repeated drunk driving incidents.

“We arrested him, taking him off the streets of Charlotte so he can’t continue to ignore our laws and drive intoxicated on the same roads you and your loved ones are on,” Bovino wrote on social media.

Another man allegedly had a history of aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, and drunk driving.

“He has also been removed from the U.S. twice, so now that he’s here AGAIN, he committed a felony by re-entering the U.S.,” Bovino said.

Before Chicago, Bovino led immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, which, like the Windy City’s immigration arrests, set off a cascade of lawsuits and investigations.

Democratic politicians in both cities criticized the actions, accusing the Trump administration of stoking community tensions that inflamed violence. Federal agents fatally shot a man during an attempted traffic stop while conducting operations in Chicago. DHS claimed the man resisted arrest, drove his car into an arrest team, and dragged an officer with his car prior to the shooting.

Bovino and the Trump administration have defended the use of force as necessary, stating there are growing threats to agents’ lives.

A spokesperson for Bovino did not respond to a request for further information on the Charlotte arrests by publication time.

The Homeland Security Department sent its Saturday press release on Operation Charlotte’s Web in response to requests for further information on the arrests.

Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), whose district includes Charlotte, said she was concerned about the deployment of federal immigration agents to the city in a statement on Nov. 13.

“Charlotte’s immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by and watch my constituents be intimidated or harassed. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, and what we have seen border patrol and ICE agents do in places like Chicago and Los Angeles—using excessive force in their operations and tear gassing peaceful protestors—threatens the well-being of the communities they enter,” she said. “Those tactics and values have no place in the City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County.”

Bovino, responding to Adams’ post, said his agents are targeting illegal immigrants in Charlotte.

“Rep. Adams, perhaps you ... should learn the difference between an illegal alien & an immigrant,” he said. “Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities and should self-deport via CBP Home.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.