Lead: The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to send Border Patrol agents to Charlotte and New Orleans as part of the Trump administration’s national immigration enforcement push, internal documents and U.S. officials told CBS News on Nov. 14, 2025. Plans reviewed by reporters show requests for armored vehicles and special-operations personnel, with Charlotte operations reportedly standing up an operations center and New Orleans facing a potential deployment of up to 200 CBP agents. Local and federal officials have offered limited public comment; a DHS spokesperson declined to discuss potential future operations. The deployments follow similar, high-profile Border Patrol actions in Chicago and Los Angeles that drew protests and legal scrutiny.
Key takeaways
- Internal DHS planning documents list Charlotte and New Orleans as the next locations for a Trump administration immigration enforcement push, according to CBS News reporting on Nov. 14, 2025.
- Charlotte is being prepared with a local operations center and could see Border Patrol teams arrive within days of the Nov. 14 report, per local officials.
- New Orleans could receive as many as 200 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, according to sources and the documents.
- Requests in the documents include armored vehicles such as “BearCats” and deployment of special operations agents for both cities.
- The internal plans use code names “Charlotte Web” and “Catahoula Crunch” for the respective operations.
- Border Patrol personnel who worked in Chicago — including commander Gregory Bovino — are expected to be reassigned to the new operations.
- Officials note a distinction between ICE’s intelligence-driven interior enforcement and the Border Patrol’s broader, roving-style operations in cities away from the border.
Background
Since early 2025 the Trump administration has broadened the role of Border Patrol agents beyond the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying them into interior cities to make federal immigration arrests. Traditionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has led interior enforcement; Border Patrol historically focuses on border interdiction. The shift reflects the administration’s push for visible, nationwide enforcement actions.
Earlier this fall, deployments to Chicago and Los Angeles produced highly visible operations that sparked protests, legal challenges and sharp local criticism. A federal judge in Chicago has already imposed strict limits on crowd-control tactics used during those operations. At the same time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports show illegal crossings fell to a 55-year low in fiscal year 2025, underscoring the unusual use of Border Patrol far from the border.
Main event
Internal DHS preparation materials reviewed by CBS News identify Charlotte and New Orleans as planned sites for follow-on Border Patrol activity. Files reportedly request armored vehicles, including BearCats, and special-operations agents to support what officials internally labeled “Charlotte Web” and “Catahoula Crunch.” The documents and multiple U.S. officials said the operations will be led in large part by green-uniformed Border Patrol agents.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told CBS News he had been contacted by federal officials and was informed CBP personnel could arrive in the Charlotte area as early as a coming weekend or the start of the following week. A DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, told reporters the department “does not discuss future or potential operations,” while reiterating that DHS enforces laws nationwide.
Sources described a potential shift of personnel from Chicago to the new sites; many agents who worked earlier in Chicago, including commander Gregory Bovino, were named as likely participants. In New Orleans, sources and the documents indicate planning for as many as 200 agents — a scale that would make that deployment substantially larger than some prior interior operations.
Analysis & implications
The planned redeployments illustrate a tactical and political choice: relying on Border Patrol for interior actions produces more visible, uniformed federal presence than ICE’s typical operations. That visibility can amplify public backlash in host cities and raise legal and civil‑liberties questions, particularly when armored vehicles and special-operations teams are part of the response.
Legally, Border Patrol and ICE personnel share federal arrest authority for immigration violations, but courts and local governments have treated Interior deployments differently based on tactics and conduct. The Chicago experience — protests, confrontations and judicial limits on crowd-control tools — is likely to inform how mayors, sheriffs and civil-rights groups respond in Charlotte and New Orleans.
Politically, the move aligns with the administration’s mass-deportation messaging and could be used to signal tougher enforcement ahead of the 2026 election cycle. At the same time, the low rates of illegal border crossings in FY2025 (a 55-year low) mean the administration is using scarce enforcement resources for interior visibility rather than border interdiction.
Comparison & data
| Location | Reported agents | Equipment requested | Operation name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (earlier 2025) | Dozens (varied deployments) | Standard CBP vehicles; crowd‑control gear | — |
| Los Angeles (earlier 2025) | Dozens (varied deployments) | CBP tactical assets | — |
| Charlotte (planned) | Scores (local ops center) | Armored vehicles requested | Charlotte Web |
| New Orleans (planned) | Up to 200 agents | BearCats, special ops agents | Catahoula Crunch |
The table summarizes reporting from internal DHS documents and U.S. officials. Exact agent counts for earlier deployments in Chicago and Los Angeles were not published in the documents reviewed; the New Orleans figure comes from those same planning materials and on‑the‑record sourcing. Those numbers may change as operations are finalized.
Reactions & quotes
“I had been contacted by two separate federal officials confirming CBP personnel will be arriving in the Charlotte area as early as this Saturday or the beginning of next week.”
Garry McFadden, Mecklenburg County Sheriff (local official)
“The department does not discuss future or potential operations. Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country.”
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs (official)
“The use of force that I’ve seen has been exemplary — the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission.”
Gregory Bovino, U.S. Border Patrol commander (federal official)
Context: Each quote has been reported by CBS News and stems from officials responding to questions about deployments and tactics. Local leaders and civil‑rights groups have expressed concern in prior deployments about the impact on immigrant communities and public safety.
Unconfirmed
- The exact number and models of armored vehicles requested for each city have not been independently verified outside internal DHS materials.
- The finalized start dates, final agent counts in Charlotte, and the precise roles of special-operations teams remain subject to change pending operational approvals.
- Which specific Border Patrol personnel from Chicago will be reassigned and the timeline for any redeployments were not independently confirmed by federal officials.
Bottom line
The reported plans to send Border Patrol agents with armored vehicles to Charlotte and New Orleans mark a continuation and escalation of a strategy that has already generated public controversy in Chicago and Los Angeles. If carried out at the scale indicated by internal documents, the New Orleans deployment — potentially up to 200 agents — would be among the largest interior CBP operations reported this year.
Local officials, civil-rights organizations and federal authorities now face competing pressures: mayors and sheriffs balancing public-safety concerns with federal requests, advocacy groups pushing for legal limits and transparency, and the administration pursuing a visible enforcement posture. Observers should watch for formal operational notices, city-level responses, and any court interventions that could alter tactics or timing.
Sources
- CBS News (national news outlet; original reporting, Nov. 14, 2025)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (federal agency; public statements and spokesperson comments)
- Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (local government; statements from Sheriff Garry McFadden)