Homeland Security says Border Patrol arrested over 130 in two days in Charlotte

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested over 130 people on Saturday and Sunday after beginning an operation in Charlotte in which masked agents in paramilitary gear approach people in public places, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit and run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation, a felony,” according to a statement from DHS.

The agencies have not released names or paperwork, so that claim could not be verified. It was unclear where people arrested had been taken.

Border Patrol arrived in Charlotte on Saturday morning and arrested people at restaurants, grocery stores, Home Depot parking lots and an east Charlotte church. Its operation, called “Charlotte’s Web” — taken from the children’s novel by E.B. White — has targeted the city’s immigrant communities in north, east, and south Charlotte.

Protesters have faced off with federal agents, yelling at them and filming them throughout the weekend, including at the Charlotte Department of Homeland Security office Sunday night.

Border Patrol agents continued their operations Monday.

“We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country,” the statement said.