Deportation raids may soon begin in Raleigh, North Carolina, local officials said.
The news of the reported sweeps comes days after Border Patrol agents arrived in Charlotte, where they’ve made more than 130 arrests of illegal immigrants. That followed a massive deportation operation in Chicago and is expected to coincide with another one planned in New Orleans.
Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that Border Patrol is expected in the city, but that local police are not involved.
“As the capital city, it is important to us that everyone who lives, works, plays, and learns in Raleigh feels safe,” Cowell said.
“We have been made aware that Customs and Border Protection are coming to Raleigh. While [the Raleigh Police Department] is not involved in immigration enforcement, we are committed to protecting our residents and to following the law,” she added.
The Department of Homeland Security didn’t confirm or deny any plans to conduct raids in the North Carolina capital in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
Authorities in North Carolina have operated under sanctuary policies that block local police from handing illegal immigrant criminals over to ICE, according to DHS. There are roughly 1,400 illegal immigrants in North Carolina jails with immigration detainers that local authorities are ignoring.
The raids in Charlotte have already sparked protests, with anti-ICE demonstrators pushing to get the feds out.
North Carolina Democratic Governor Josh Stein blasted the federal operation in a video statement.
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling, and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks,” Stein said.