President Donald Trump’s deployment of immigration agents in Charlotte is becoming a centerpiece of debate in the battle for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat.
The Department of Homeland Security last weekend launched “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in the Queen City against the objection of city officials who said the move was unnecessary. Border Patrol agents arrested more than 130 immigrants who are believed to be in the U.S. illegally, the department said Monday.
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The move comes about a year prior to next year’s midterm elections, when North Carolinians will be asked to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis. The two-term Republican isn’t seeking reelection.
The frontrunners in the race weighed in on the crackdown Monday, underscoring the importance of immigration policy on the race.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is expected to win the Democratic nomination in March, is casting the operation as inefficient.
He echoed the concern of other critics who have accused immigration agents of targeting nonviolent immigrants — sometimes U.S. citizens — based on their race or ethnicity.
“I’ve prosecuted violent criminals and fought to keep them behind bars, so I know the importance of using federal resources to deport violent criminals and keep our borders strong,” Cooper said in a statement Monday.
He continued: “But randomly sweeping up people based on what they look like, including American citizens and those with no criminal records, risks leaving violent criminals at large while hurting families and the economy.”
Meanwhile, Republican candidates are praising Border Patrol’s efforts.
Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman who President Donald Trump endorsed in the race, said immigration agents are “taking criminal illegal aliens identified as murderers, rapists, and pedophiles off the streets of Charlotte.”
Don Brown, another Republican in the race, claimed that local law enforcement doesn’t have the resources to crack down on immigration, saying: “I welcome the Border Patrol to Charlotte today as we take important steps toward a safer, stronger city.”
Immigration and crime in recent years have been top issues for North Carolina voters, according to polling by WRAL and other groups. Republicans are expected to campaign heavily on the issue as they attempt to keep the U.S. Senate under GOP control. Democrats hope to flip four Senate seats and take a majority in the chamber. North Carolina is home to one of only two GOP-held seats that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report considers a toss up.