Americans who believe in law and order should be relieved that the federal government finally moved to do the job local sanctuary politics refuse to do. Operation Charlotte’s Web — the Department of Homeland Security sweep that began in Charlotte in mid-November — is exactly the kind of decisive interior enforcement needed to restore public safety where local leaders abdicate responsibility.
When Border Patrol rolled into town the results were immediate: agents reported 81 arrests on day one and confirmed more than 130 people taken into custody during the opening weekend as the operation expanded. Those numbers aren’t trivia — they are proof that organized, focused enforcement can remove dangerous elements that prey on neighborhoods and undermine honest, hard-working Americans.
DHS has been blunt about what many in the media refuse to admit: a significant portion of those arrested carry criminal histories, including violent offenses, DUI convictions, and prior deportations. That reality is why federal enforcement is necessary; when municipal policies protect repeat offenders from removal, ordinary citizens pay the price in higher crime and fear.
Predictably, the usual suspects in city hall and on cable TV tried to spin chaos out of competence — and even produced a public contradiction about whether the operation had ended. Mecklenburg County’s sheriff publicly said federal agents told him the operation was over, while DHS insisted the work was continuing; this back-and-forth shows one thing clearly: the federal government will not be bullied out of enforcing immigration law.
Charlotte felt the chill of accountability as businesses temporarily shut their doors and schools reported absentee spikes while families sheltered at home to avoid being swept up in raids. Those disruptions matter because they reveal the cost of harboring policies that prioritize political virtue-signaling over the safety of neighborhoods and the economic stability of small business owners.
Conservatives should not shrink from praising an administration that follows through on promises to put American citizens first and to remove criminal illegal aliens from our streets. While the activist left wails about optics and facilitates fear in immigrant communities, the plain truth is that enforcement protects everyone — citizens and lawful residents alike — from the torrent of crime and chaos that follows open-door policies.
If Charlotte’s Web is a template, then Republicans should champion it boldly: no more sanctuary safe havens, no more excuses, and no more politics above public safety. Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who act, not lecture, and this operation is a necessary step toward reclaiming our cities and keeping our families safe.
