Name: What we know about ICE operations in Charlotte and New Orleans
Uploaded: 2025-11-20T00:36:35.803Z
Duration: 4 min 34 s
Description: The Department of Homeland Security says more than 250 people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Meanwhile, DHS plans to target New Orleans for its next immigration crackdown operation as early as next month.

The Department of Homeland Security says more than 250 people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Meanwhile, DHS plans to target New Orleans for its next immigration crackdown operation as early as next month.

Charlotte

The Department of Homeland Security has arrested more than 250 individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally in the Charlotte, North Carolina area as part of a federal immigration enforcement operation. The operation, known as Operation Charlotte's Web, is winding down in Charlotte and expanding into Raleigh, with plans to move into New Orleans, Louisiana, and southern Mississippi as early as December 1.

Officials, including North Carolina's governor, have expressed concerns about public safety and the tactics used during these operations. Internal documents indicate that the New Orleans operation, named Catahoula Crunch, will involve up to 200 federal agents and is part of a broader effort to target cities with sanctuary policies. Community reactions have included school walkouts and business closures, and law enforcement has noted communication challenges between federal, state, and local agencies.

What we know about ICE operations in Charlotte and New Orleans

The Homeland Security Department says more than 250 people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. The arrests were part of the federal government's immigration crackdown. The operation is expected to wind down later this week, but it has left the city on edge, sparking fear among some of its residents and students. CBS News correspondent Skylar Henry is in Charlotte with the latest. We are now days into Operation Charlotte's Web here in Charlotte, North Carolina, where DHS says that it has arrested more than 200 people as part of this federal immigration crackdown. The operation has now moved into Raleigh, North Carolina and the surrounding area there. We heard from Governor Josh Stein earlier this week. He said that he is concerned not only about public safety, but the tactics that have been used in this process. We've also learned that this is now moving into New Orleans. Internal Homeland Security preparations say that officers are planning on moving in to not only Louisiana, but southern Mississippi as early as December 1st. And more than 200 agents could be on the ground for that as well. Meanwhile, back here in North Carolina, concerns expressed not only from people who live here and business owners, but from students. We were outside of a high school that held a walkout just yesterday expressing their concerns. And we also spoke with a business owner who temporarily had to close her bakery. She's Honduras born, now U.S. citizen, but says that she's concerned that she and her family will be stopped. And so she says that she's going to take it as a day by day basis. All of this coming at a time where there is pushback and what law enforcement says is a lack of communication as it relates to the federal, state and local level. We'll see what happens here today as this operation appears to be moving from North Carolina and over to Louisiana. Back to you. Skyler Henry, thank you. As Skyler mentioned, once things wind down in Charlotte, the Homeland Security Department is planning to target New Orleans for its next crackdown on immigration. That could happen as early as next month. CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Gavez joins us now. So let's talk here about the scope here. This is targeting illegal immigration. What are we expecting in New Orleans? Well, what we know, according to internal documents that we obtained, Lindsey, is that the Trump administration, as we speak, is preparing and planning to launch a major immigration enforcement operation in the New Orleans region, in Louisiana, that officials have internally named Catahoula Crunch in response and in apparent reference to the official state dog of Louisiana. And this is part of a broader effort by the administration to target Democratic-led cities that have so-called sanctuary policies that limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agencies like Border Patrol and ICE. And the internal documents also point to the fact that Border Patrol is preparing to send as many as 200 federal agents to New Orleans to target and arrest people who are suspected of being in the country illegally. Homeland Security sources tell me that the operation in New Orleans, Lindsey, could start in early December, as early as December 1st, in a couple of days after Thanksgiving. I'm also told that Border Patrol Commander Gregory Vovino is expected to lead that operation, and that is notable, of course, because he has led the controversial immigration operations first in Los Angeles, then in Chicago, and most recently in Charlotte, as you heard Skyler underscore. He is also somebody who has garnered a lot of controversy because of the tactics and the use of force that his agents have employed in the cities that I just mentioned. Officials have even requested armored vehicles and special response teams for New Orleans. That could be an indicator, Lindsey, that the administration expects a strong community reaction in New Orleans, just like it has seen in Chicago and Los Angeles. Why New Orleans? And do you have any reporting on why the name, why use the name of the state dog? It's a critical question. The administration has not offered a particular reason to offer that name or to select New Orleans as the next target of that immigration crackdown. We know that New Orleans has a relatively small immigrant population compared to Chicago and Los Angeles. About 7 percent of the city's population is foreign born. But we do know this Gregory Vovino, that Border Patrol chief that is expected to lead the operation, was the head of the Border Patrol sector in New Orleans during the first Trump administration. So he does know the region. Camila Montoya-Gavez, thank you.

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