Rheba Hamilton was sipping coffee on her porch Saturday morning as she watched the two workers she'd hired begin draping her front yard tree with lights in a quiet Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood.
Suddenly, a gray minivan – doors already ajar –made a sharp stop at the corner. Two federal agents emerged and asked the landscapers for their papers. Hamilton joined the men on the lawn and started recording. Shortly after, the agents retreated.
The abruptness of the incident took Hamilton by surprise,mirroring the shock local officials and residentsfelt as Charlotte became the latest city caught up this year in a string of targeted immigration actions.
What began in Charlotte quickly spread to other cities in the state as the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown continues to expand nationally.Gregory Bovino, the top Border Patrol official charged with enforcement operations, is expected to head to New Orleans in coming weeks.
Here is where things stand:
Next city to be targeted may already be in enforcement crackdown's sights
While the spotlight has been focused on North Carolina's most populated city, immigration enforcement action has started to spread to other areas of the state and is expected to reach New Orleans within weeks.
Bovino – who for many has become the face of the crackdown – is expected to arrive in New Orleans, where he once served as chief patrol agent, the first week of December, according to two sources familiar with the planning.
The Department of Homeland Security is expected to deploy 250 agents in Louisiana – roughly in line with the number of agents sent to other cities to assist Bovino, the sources said.
President Donald Trump has previously floated New Orleans as a destination for his federal crackdown, saying in an Oval Office meeting this year his administration was "making a determination."
As immigration enforcement is expected to spread further throughout the South, Customs and Border Protection agentswere seen Tuesday in North Carolina's Wake and Durham counties, Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said during a City Council meeting. The counties are home to Raleigh and Durham, two of the state's other major cities and part of the Research Triangle, with Chapel Hill.
"We are just encouraging everyone, if you feel unsafe or you see something that you think is illegal, to please call the Raleigh Police Department or your local jurisdiction and to stay safe," Cowell said.
Residents of Cary, North Carolina, west of Raleigh, havealso reported seeing federal agentsat hospitals, restaurants and construction sites, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht told CNN.
Protestersgathered at Moore Square in downtown Raleighon Tuesday night, holding American flags and signs printed with slogans like, "No fear no hate, no ICE in our state" and "Respect due process," aerial footage from CNN affiliate WRAL shows.
DHS arrests more than 250 people in Charlotte
Over 250 people have been arrested in immigration raids in Charlotte since the weekend, DHS said in an update Wednesday.
"Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit and run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation, a felony," a Tuesday DHS statement said.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noemsaid Tuesdaythe Charlotte operation was based on previous investigative work, specifically citing "a high number of child abuse, trafficking, neglect type of instances that we had identified over our work there."
Two men werefederally charged in CharlotteTuesday for allegedly using their vehicles in separate incidents to assault federal officers who were conducting immigration enforcement, according to Russ Ferguson, the US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The charges don't stem from protests in the area, the US attorney said.
A woman was also charged Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted a federal agent outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Charlotte, the US attorney's officesaid in a news release. The 44-year-old woman is accused of "grabbing the officer's shoulders and attempting to jump on the officer's back" while the officer was trying to arrest another person Sunday, the release said.
Attorneys are turning to creative measures to find their clients
The uptick in immigration detentions in Charlotte and the absence of information from the federal government has prompted some immigration attorneys to get creative in how they track clients being held in ICE custody.
One of those attorneys is Gigi Gardner, a North Carolina immigration attorney, who said her client was detained on Tuesday after attending a routine ICE check-in.
Her client – who she didn't name, citing safety and client confidentiality concerns – has been in the US for roughly 40 years and has checked in with ICE annually, Gardner said.
After failed attempts to get into the ICE office late last week due to a high volume of people, Gardner's client checked in Tuesday, when he was detained, she said. Gardner and her client's wife tracked his whereabouts by using the location of his AirPods, she said.
They tracked his movements toFolkston, Georgia, where there's an ICE detention center. The AirPod's battery appeared to die and it wasn't until Wednesday morning that the man called his wife to say he had been transferred again – this time, to Jacksonville, Florida, Gardner said.
"Nothing has changed. He has an attorney. And he was unable to contact me. They haven't sent me any paperwork. They haven't told me where he is. And they still haven't told me where he is," she said, referring to ICE.
Charlotte community takes some tips from Chicago
While the targeted immigration raids were unexpected to many of those in the Charlotte community, they were ready to meet the moment.
People throughout Charlottewere seen Mondayusing many of the tactics employed in Chicago – including watching for raids, blowing warning whistles and carrying signs advising people of their rights.
Their vigilance comes as many businesses across the city have closed their doors, fearing their customers will be a target. Abouthalf the mom-and-pop businessesthe community development organizationCharlotteEastworks with have closed their doors at some point, despite all of them being owned by US citizens, Executive Director Greg Asciutto said Tuesday.
"From strictly an economic standpoint, it's pretty catastrophic right now," Asciutto said, comparing current closures to the first week of the coronavirus pandemic in the area.
A Colombian bakery open for 28 years closed its doors Saturday after men in tactical gear chased and tackled people outside the shop. A program for immigrant and refugee childrenwas also suspended until further noticeMonday after Border Patrol was active at their site.
A local laundromat is taking a different approach, withthe owner locking their doorswhile customers are inside in an attempt to keep them safe.
In Raleigh, more than 600 volunteers signed up in the overnight hours to help others travel within the city when the community became aware that federal agents intended to come to the area Tuesday, Siembra NC, a statewide immigrant worker organizing group, said.
"By early morning, trained volunteers were dispatched throughout Raleigh as safety patrols ready to assist neighbors in getting to school and work safely," a release from the organization said.
About 20% of students absent from Charlotte-area schools Monday
More than30,000 students were absentfrom Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Monday, about 20% of the district's enrollment. CNN has reached out to the district to see how attendance was affected Tuesday.
The districtissued a statement Sunday nightsaying no immigration activity had happened on their campuses and noting leaders hadn't been informed of impending action. There were no reports of immigration enforcement on their campuses on Monday or Tuesday.
"CMS follows all federal and state laws protecting students' right to a public education. The U.S. Supreme Court guarantees that all children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to attend public school," CMS Assistant Communications Officer Tom Miner said in a statement to school district families.
High school students in the districtstaged a walkout Tuesday morningto protest immigration enforcement in the city. Several hundred students gathered around the edge of a football field at East Mecklenburg High School, many wearing black and holding flags, an aerial Getty photo of the demonstration showed.
North Carolina governor and local leaders denounce the raids
Many Democratic leaders across North Carolina have denounced the raids.
"We've reached out to the White House,"North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Tuesday."We haven't gotten any word. We're not hearing directly from Customs and Border Patrol, so we don't know for sure where they're going, how long they'll be here, where else they're going."
Stein went on to criticize the tactics used by federal agents, saying they are "not promoting safety in our communities."
In the county where Charlotte is located, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to affirm constitutional protections and express support for the immigrant community.
"This is not an issue of policy. This is an issue of morality," Chair Mark Jerrell said. "It's immoral to profile, to tear families apart. It's not right to have people living in fear … This board declared tonight that we don't condone it. We won't stand for it."
While the governor and local leaders vocally oppose the federal action, North Carolina's Republican Partypraised the immigration enforcementoperation, saying "the need is real."
Though some people are overwhelmed with the intensity of the moment, Councilmember LaWana Mayfieldsaid during a City Council committee meeting Mondaythat this moment is "an opportunity to show up for each other."
"Get to know your neighbors, get their phone numbers, go to their back door, bring them over to your house so the children can feel safe, let the kids play together, because they don't need to be going through all of this," Mayfield said.
CNN's Devon Sayers, Cindy Von Quednow, Michelle Watson, Chris Boyette, Rebekah Riess, Alisha Ebrahimji, Hanna Park, Andy Rose and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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