Three months later: What remains after the Border Patrol left Charlotte | Opinion
Three months ago, “Operation Charlotte’s Web” invaded our city. For six days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents — many masked — roamed Charlotte in unmarked cars, making haphazard arrests. Brown skin and an accent became probable cause.
Much remains unknown about that time. Journalists have been unable to access even basic information about those detained: their names, their charges, where they were taken. This month, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis requested details about the operation, writing to DHS that, “recent operations raise serious questions that require direct oversight.” Federal officials have only revealed they arrested more than 425 people, about a dozen of whom had serious criminal convictions. If DHS’s mission was to arrest the “worst of the worst,” it achieved a 2.8% success rate.
I live in East Charlotte; my daily errands take me along Central Avenue and Eastway Drive, where CBP focused much of its efforts. While the arrests and protests here are gone, I talked to advocates this week about what has remained.
One lasting effect is economic. Alba Sanchez, who works at Latin American Coalition (LAC), supports 38 families who had loved ones detained that week. Many of them haven’t come home, and some families still don’t know where they are. In addition to the emotional turmoil, an absent family member can cause financial distress, as those remaining must cover missing wages. LAC connects families with resources, from bill assistance, job opportunities, and mental health support.
“Most of the families are very resilient, and they continue working to cover their needs. But families are suffering. They will never get back to the way things were before, to some kind of stability,” Sanchez said. “Their safety has been destroyed.”
The economic fallout also affected those who didn’t have family members detained. Many east Charlotte small businesses closed during the operation to protect customers and employees. Some workers stayed home longer, unsure of their safety. Missed wages forced hard choices and cascading effects, especially for those living paycheck to paycheck. With less discretionary spending, restaurants and shops lost customers.
CharlotteEAST launched Fuerza del Este, a campaign in November and December that infused nearly $35,000 into 65 east-side businesses. Churches and non-profits helped more than 2,200 families with bills and groceries. ourBRIDGE for Kids — an afterschool program for children of immigrants and refugees — held drives for winter coats and hosted pop-up stores giving away free clothes and school supplies. Even so, many families continue to fight to regain their financial footing.
Easing fears has been an even harder endeavor. How can people feel safe again? Where can they feel safe again? CBP cruelly named the operation after a children’s book, then brought that operation to an after-school program. CBP’s arrival in the ourBRIDGE parking lot created an unthinkable image: on one side, a small building with kids’ artwork decorating windows and toys in the grass; on the other, 20 agents in military gear. How can adults reassure those children that they’re safe?
“We focus on messages of love and stability and telling the kids, ‘You belong here. We belong here,’” said Salma Villarreal Barraza, ourBRIDGE’s interim executive director. The kids don’t often talk about their fears, but the program gives them space to explore them. It has a play therapist; it helps parents have difficult conversations with children. Recently, kids did a Lunar New Year art project, where they shared their wishes for the months ahead. One child wished their dad could be home. One mentioned wanting to see their grandma again.
“These are eight-year-olds, and they’re wishing for stability, they’re wishing for family reunification,” Villarreal Barraza said. “An eight-year-old should be wishing for LEGOs.”
Yet some have moved on, while others cannot. If I were an elected official in Charlotte — where agents detained hundreds of residents without sharing who, why, or where — I imagine my demands for accountability would be loud, angry, and frequent. If I were a business leader, I imagine I’d support the recovery of small, east-side businesses. And yet.
One positive thing has resulted, however: greater cohesion and sense of community, as neighbors came together to support neighbors.
“I don’t think you can take away the collective unity and support that we’ve really built over the past months as a community ecosystem, with businesses, nonprofits, houses of faith, and neighborhoods,” said Greg Ascuitto, executive director of CharlotteEAST, of the east Charlotte community. “It’s for a sense of security, but also out of desire. People want to be connected.”
Villarreal Barraza said the community support that ourBRIDGE received during the operation made her love this city more than ever and feel even more committed to her work.
“This is a systematic attack of violence against our community. It’s not just ICE enforcement and CBP raids; it’s so much more insidious. It’s the trauma they’re leaving,” she said. “Now more than ever, it’s important to be a good neighbor and to show up for each other. That work doesn’t stop just because CBP left.”
Jen McGivney is a contributing columnist for the Observer and a former columnist for Charlotte Magazine.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 9:49 AM.