Read our editorial on mass deportations here, and the ongoing struggle against it here.
On November 15, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a new operation against workers in Charlotte, North Carolina, arresting hundreds of immigrants. Despite justifying the raids under the guise of cutting down on crime, initial reports from DHS itself indicated that the majority of detainees did not even have criminal records, while statistics show crime in the city had been decreasing.
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, with a foreign-born population of about 18 percent. The terror campaign quickly fanned out to other cities in the state, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entering Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, on November 18.
DHS dubbed their operation “Charlotte’s Web” in reference to the children’s book, in line with the sadistic naming conventions of other campaigns and torture centers, including “Alligator Alcatraz” and the “Cornhusker Clink,” located in Florida and Nebraska, respectively.
In an attempt to stoke terror among immigrant workers, Gregory Bovino, the commander of the operation, quoted Charlotte’s Web on social media, saying that “Wherever the wind takes us. High, low. Near, far. East, west. North, south. We take to the breeze, we go as we please.”
The offensive into North Carolina comes as ultra-reactionary President Trump targets large cities and states governed by the Democrat mafia. A two-month mass deportation campaign targeting New Orleans is set to begin December 1, according to the monopoly Associated Press.
The focus on Democrat-dominated areas indicates a sharpening contradiction among the imperialist ruling class and their representatives for how best to overcome the current political and economic crisis. Charlotte in particular became of interest to the Republican mafia after the August killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska by a U.S. citizen on a train, which ironically became a rallying cry for an ultra-reactionary hysterical campaign against immigrants.
In response to ICE activity throughout North Carolina, many local businesses temporarily closed, and nearly one in six Charlotte students stayed home from school November 17. Students at multiple schools staged protests against the terror, and thousands took part in anti-ICE demonstrations across the state.
Photo: Anti-ICE demonstration in Durham, NC on November 21.
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