Lead
On November 15, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced a surge of federal immigration enforcement resources to Charlotte, North Carolina, under a new initiative called Operation Charlotte’s Web. DHS said the operation targets noncitizens arrested on serious criminal charges who were released after local authorities declined to honor ICE detainers. The department cited nearly 1,400 detainers across North Carolina that it says were not acted upon, and named a group of arrested individuals DHS described as violent offenders. The move escalates federal attention on local cooperation with immigration enforcement and aims to remove persons DHS identifies as public-safety threats.
Key Takeaways
- DHS announced Operation Charlotte’s Web on November 15, 2025, deploying federal immigration law-enforcement personnel to Charlotte, North Carolina.
- The department reported nearly 1,400 ICE detainers in North Carolina were not honored, a figure DHS used to justify the surge of resources.
- DHS identified multiple people arrested on charges including murder, sexual offenses involving minors, weapons offenses, and driving-related offenses as examples of those released after detainers were not honored.
- The agency framed the operation as a response to sanctuary policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration requests.
- The announcement emphasized public-safety protection as the operation’s rationale, while also signaling a broader federal push into jurisdictions that restrict detainer compliance.
Background
ICE detainers are requests from federal immigration authorities asking local law enforcement to hold an individual for transfer to immigration custody. Over the past decade some cities and counties adopted policies limiting cooperation with such detainer requests, citing constitutional concerns, legal liability, and community-policing priorities. Local officials who favor restricted cooperation typically argue these policies increase public trust and encourage reporting of crime by immigrant communities.
At the same time, federal officials and some state governments have criticized noncooperation policies, saying they can allow people with serious criminal charges to be released from local custody before immigration authorities can assume custody. The legal status of detainer requests—whether they must be honored and the process required—has been the subject of litigation and administrative guidance, producing varying practices across jurisdictions. That patchwork of policies contributes to disputes between federal and local officials over responsibility for public safety and immigration enforcement.
Main Event
On November 15, 2025, DHS announced it was deploying personnel to Charlotte as part of Operation Charlotte’s Web. The department characterized the deployment as a targeted effort to identify and remove noncitizens with criminal arrests who were released because local authorities did not comply with ICE detainer requests. DHS officials highlighted the nearly 1,400 detainers figure statewide as the operational impetus.
The department released a list of several individuals it said illustrate its concerns. Those named in DHS materials include Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez (Costa Rica), arrested on child sexual exploitation and related charges; Jose Ulloa-Martinez (Honduras), arrested for murder; Osman Armondo Paz-Ortiz (Honduras), arrested on statutory sex-offense charges involving a minor; Jeferson Moises Martinez-Sorto (Honduras), arrested for sexual battery and resisting arrest; William Santos-Roca (Guatemala), arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and later for driving while impaired; Carlos Manuel Portillo-Guevara (El Salvador), arrested on weapons charges; and Olvin Esau Calero-Martinez (Honduras), with a history of property and theft-related arrests. DHS said these people were released after detainers were not honored.
The department framed the operation as protecting residents and removing public-safety threats, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin quoted saying the surge aims to ensure safety when local policies limit cooperation. DHS indicated the action is part of broader federal enforcement priorities in jurisdictions it regards as noncooperative.
Analysis & Implications
The operation underscores an ongoing federal-local tension: federal agencies rely on local custody to effectuate transfers for immigration purposes, while some localities resist participating in immigration enforcement to preserve community relations and avoid legal exposure. Federal deployments like this can produce immediate removals but may also intensify political conflict and legal challenges from municipalities or advocacy groups.
Operationally, a federal surge can identify and remove noncitizens with outstanding immigration orders or pending removals, but it does not by itself resolve underlying legal disputes about detainer authority. Municipalities that decline detainers often point to court rulings and counsel opinions limiting the legal basis for holds without a judicial warrant. Absent uniform standards, the pattern of uneven cooperation will likely persist and prompt repeated federal interventions in select jurisdictions.
Politically, the announcement is likely to be framed differently across stakeholders. Supporters of strict enforcement will view the operation as necessary to protect public safety; advocates for immigrant communities will likely raise concerns about civil-liberties protections, potential profiling, and erosion of local control. The operation could also affect community trust in law enforcement: increased federal activity might deter some residents from reporting crimes or cooperating with police, while others may feel reassured by enhanced federal presence.
Comparison & Data
| Named Individual | Alleged Charges | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez | Child sexual exploitation, indecent liberties, solicitation | Costa Rica |
| Jose Ulloa-Martinez | Murder | Honduras |
| Osman Armondo Paz-Ortiz | Statutory sex offense involving a minor, indecent liberties | Honduras |
| Jeferson Moises Martinez-Sorto | Sexual battery, resisting officer, fleeing/eluding | Honduras |
| William Santos-Roca | Weapons offense, DWI, prior hit-and-run | Guatemala |
| Carlos Manuel Portillo-Guevara | Concealed weapon, discharge of a weapon | El Salvador |
| Olvin Esau Calero-Martinez | Theft, burglary, property offenses, drug possession | Honduras |
The table above reproduces the names and charges DHS included in its November 15, 2025 release. DHS’s cited statewide figure—nearly 1,400 unhonored detainers—was presented as a quantitative justification for the operation; the agency did not in the release provide a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown or the time frame used to calculate that number. That limits outside verification of the precise scope of noncooperation.
Reactions & Quotes
DHS framed the surge as necessary to protect residents and remove persons it regards as threats. The department emphasized federal responsibility where local policies limit cooperation.
“Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal noncitizens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors. We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed.”
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Community groups and some local officials typically respond to federal enforcement sweeps by raising concerns about due process and community trust; those perspectives were not represented in the DHS release. Independent observers may call for transparent reporting on how detainer figures were calculated and on how individual cases were handled to assess public-safety impacts.
“Federal enforcement actions can address certain cases, but they also raise questions about transparency, civil-liberties protections, and consequences for community policing.”
Summary of typical statements by immigrant-rights and civil-liberties organizations (general paraphrase)
Unconfirmed
- The causal link between each release and local sanctuary policies is presented by DHS but is not independently verified for every named case. Local decisions, pending court orders, or other factors may also have influenced release decisions.
- The statewide total of nearly 1,400 unhonored detainers is reported by DHS; the department did not publish a public, case-level dataset with dates and jurisdictions to allow full external verification of that aggregate figure.
- Independent public statements from Charlotte municipal officials or local law enforcement responding to the specific individuals named were not included in the DHS release and require separate confirmation.
Bottom Line
Operation Charlotte’s Web is a federal escalation in jurisdictions where DHS views local policies as limiting cooperation on immigration holds. The department presented the action as a public-safety measure backed by a statewide detainer figure and a list of individuals it said illustrate the risks it describes. Whether the operation will produce measurable improvements in community safety or instead deepen federal-local friction will depend on case outcomes, legal challenges, and how local leaders and community groups respond.
For readers tracking the issue, the most consequential near-term items to watch are whether DHS publishes case-level data to substantiate its detainer total, how Charlotte-area officials respond publicly and legally, and whether courts weigh in on the legal limits of detainer compliance. Those developments will shape whether similar federal surges become a recurring feature in other jurisdictions with limited detainer cooperation.