DHS to Send Border Patrol Agents and Armored Vehicles to Charlotte and New Orleans
The Trump administration is preparing to deploy scores of U.S. Border Patrol agents to Charlotte and New Orleans as part of an expanded immigration-enforcement effort that could include armored vehicles and special operations teams, according to internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents and U.S. officials.
What the documents say
Internal DHS planning materials reviewed by CBS News identify Charlotte and New Orleans as the next locations for the administration’s large-scale deportation campaign. An operations center is reportedly being established in Charlotte, where deployments could begin as soon as next week. After Charlotte, Border Patrol focus is expected to shift to New Orleans, where as many as 200 CBP agents could be sent.
The documents request armored vehicles — including so-called "BearCats" — and special-operations personnel for both cities. Officials have reportedly nicknamed the plans internally "Charlotte Web" and "Catahoula Crunch," references to the children's novel and Louisiana’s state dog, respectively.
Officials and local response
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told local officials he had been contacted by federal authorities confirming CBP personnel would arrive in the Charlotte area imminently. In a statement, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the department was "surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed."
"There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens, and President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won't," McLaughlin said.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein criticized the deployment as one that should remain focused on violent criminals and drug traffickers, and he noted that many people detained in prior operations had no criminal convictions. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and other local officials said the expected actions are causing "unnecessary fear and uncertainty" and warned that prior operations have led to detentions of people without criminal records and to protests.
Context and controversy
The deployment underscores the Trump administration’s increased reliance on Border Patrol agents to carry out interior immigration enforcement. Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the agency typically responsible for interior immigration arrests, the administration has redirected Border Patrol teams to cities far from the U.S.–Mexico border, including Chicago and Los Angeles.
Those earlier deployments provoked protests and scrutiny. Critics say Border Patrol roving operations tend to be broader and less targeted than ICE operations, often focusing on public parking lots and worksites where agents believe undocumented immigrants may congregate. In some cases, federal judges have limited agents’ use of crowd-control tactics after complaints about force used against protesters.
Border Patrol commanders involved in prior operations — including Gregory Bovino, who led highly visible efforts in Chicago — are expected to take part in the upcoming deployments to Charlotte and New Orleans, according to officials.
Legal and enforcement differences
Both ICE officers and Border Patrol agents have federal authority to arrest individuals suspected of being in the country without authorization, but their tactics and operational models historically differ. ICE’s interior enforcement has typically been described as intelligence-driven and targeted, while critics contend Border Patrol’s urban roving operations can be more indiscriminate.
Administration officials maintain that Border Patrol agents use the minimum force necessary in the face of interference or violence during operations. Supporters say the surge is needed to protect communities from criminal activity; opponents argue it stokes fear and can sweep up people without criminal records.
The situation remains fluid as local leaders, civil-rights groups and federal officials prepare for the planned deployments in the coming days.
