E.B. White’s Granddaughter Condemns DHS for Naming Raid 'Operation Charlotte’s Web'

E.B. White’s granddaughter rebukes DHS over 'Operation Charlotte’s Web'

Martha White, granddaughter and literary executor of beloved children’s author E.B. White, criticized the Department of Homeland Security for naming a recent enforcement action in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Operation Charlotte’s Web." In a statement shared with CNN, she said the operation misappropriates a story whose central themes are kindness, community and due process.

"He certainly didn’t believe in masked men, in unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs or summons," Martha White said. "He didn’t condone fearmongering. He believed in the rule of law and due process."

Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino — who has helped lead enforcement efforts in multiple cities and is from North Carolina — referenced a passage from Charlotte’s Web in an X post that praised agents involved in the operation. DHS said the operation was intended to "target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to the Tar Heel State because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets."

Arrests, local impact and public pushback

Border Patrol said agents arrested 81 people in Charlotte during a roughly five‑hour enforcement surge. DHS and agents involved say many of those detained had significant criminal or immigration histories. Critics and local officials, including North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, accused officers of aggressive tactics, racial profiling and using unmarked vehicles and paramilitary gear in ways they say targeted residents’ civil liberties.

Local businesses felt the immediate effects. A long‑running Colombian bakery temporarily closed after its owner, Manuel "Manolo" Betancur, said he saw men in green uniforms chase and tackle people near the shop. "I need to protect my customers. I need to protect my people. I need to protect myself and my family," he said.

Broader controversy over operation names

This episode echoes an earlier controversy over the naming of enforcement actions after individual victims. DHS previously said an operation in Chicago, Operation Midway Blitz, honored Katie Abraham, an Illinois woman who authorities say was killed in a hit‑and‑run by a man in the U.S. illegally. Abraham’s mother, Denise Lorence, later wrote that her daughter would not have wanted her name attached to a politically charged enforcement campaign and described the emotional toll of that association.

Martha White urged people to "speak up to expose the lies or misperceptions" and to refuse "the limelight that feeds the cruelty." CNN has reached out to DHS for comment on her statement.

Reporting contributors: Lauren Mascarenhas, Zoe Sottile and Dianne Gallagher for CNN. For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com.