CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) \u2014 The political reasoning seemed obvious when the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago.<\/p>\n
Both are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent officials who make no secret of their anger at the White House.<\/p>\n
But Charlotte, North Carolina? Why send the Border Patrol to that city? <\/p>\n
Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein<\/a> in particular has tried hard to get along<\/a> with the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state\u2019s two U.S. senators are both Republican and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.<\/p>\n But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation.<\/p>\n The White House \u201ccan have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it\u2019s a weaker version\u201d than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not interested in just deporting people. They\u2019re interested in the show,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The crackdown<\/p>\n U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through North Carolina\u2019s largest city<\/a>, a federal official said Monday.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city<\/a> of about 950,000 people, its latest focus<\/a> for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime \u2014 despite local opposition and declining crime rates<\/a>. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.<\/p>\n Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested \u201cover 130 illegal aliens who have all broken\u201d immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.<\/p>\n The crackdown set off fierce objections<\/a> from area leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens<\/a> based on their skin color,\u201d Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. \u201cThis is not making us safer. It\u2019s stoking fear and dividing our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about videos she\u2019s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters\u2019 peacefulness.<\/p>\n \u201cTo everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n The debate over crime and immigration <\/p>\n Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America\u2019s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House. <\/p>\n The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska<\/a> on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times. <\/p>\n Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say. <\/p>\n