Cristina Rojas, who became a U.S. citizen in March, has temporarily closed her Charlotte bakery, The Batchmaker, citing safety concerns as federal immigration enforcement intensifies. She says citizenship hasn't changed her Honduran and Hispanic identity and is prioritizing her family's security over revenues. More than 200 arrests have been reported since the launch of "Operation Charlotte's Web," and student walkouts followed reports that over 30,000 students — roughly 22% of the district — were absent. North Carolina's governor criticized the enforcement tactics as causing fear rather than improving public safety.
Newly Naturalized Baker Temporarily Closes Charlotte Shop as Immigration Raids Spark Fear
Cristina Rojas, who became a U.S. citizen in March, has temporarily closed her Charlotte bakery, The Batchmaker, citing safety concerns as federal immigration enforcement intensifies. She says citizenship hasn't changed her Honduran and Hispanic identity and is prioritizing her family's security over revenues. More than 200 arrests have been reported since the launch of "Operation Charlotte's Web," and student walkouts followed reports that over 30,000 students — roughly 22% of the district — were absent. North Carolina's governor criticized the enforcement tactics as causing fear rather than improving public safety.
08:34 AM, 11/19/2025Society
Cristina Rojas, who became a U.S. citizen in March, has temporarily closed The Batchmaker, the bakery she runs in Charlotte, North Carolina, saying she fears for her family's safety and the well‑being of her community as federal immigration enforcement intensifies.
Rojas says her legal status has not changed her sense of identity. "I became a citizen but I don't stop being Honduran. I don't stop being Hispanic," she said. "A piece of paper doesn't change the way I look — or how others see me."
Faced with what she describes as an atmosphere of fear, Rojas decided to pause normal operations and serve only customers with long‑standing preorders for pickup. "I think there's going to be a huge loss, but I don't think there's a price I am willing to pay to risk it," she explained, emphasizing that her family's safety takes precedence over business revenue.
Wider enforcement and community response
The bakery closure comes after the Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Charlotte's Web," an enforcement action in the region. Authorities say the operation targets individuals they consider the "worst of the worst." More than 200 people have been arrested since the operation began, and agents have also conducted actions in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area.
The raids have prompted widespread concern and public reaction across Charlotte. Students staged walkouts in protest, and officials reported that more than 30,000 students — roughly 22% of the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg district — were absent on one recent school day amid reports of heightened fear in the community.
"I see myself through the people that have been detained," Rojas said. "I see myself through the people that are being terrorized and not able to go to work and school. So while, yes, I am a citizen, it doesn't take away from who I am, where I was born, and what makes me, and I am Hispanic. I am an immigrant."
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein criticized the tactics used by Border Patrol, saying the approach does not promote public safety. "If this were targeted at known criminals or violent drug traffickers, that would be different," he said, adding that broad sweeps of sidewalks, parking lots, stores and houses of worship are causing "widespread fear" and uncertainty.
For now, Rojas is taking each day as it comes. She says she hopes conditions will allow The Batchmaker to reopen fully, but until then she will prioritize the safety of her family and customers.