The Caucus: Federal Agents To Be Deployed To Raleigh

Federal Agents To Be Deployed To Raleigh

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will be deployed in the Raleigh area on Tuesday, Democratic legislative sources briefed by Gov. Josh Stein’s office told The Assembly and INDY on Monday.  

“It is the city of Raleigh’s understanding that the Border Patrol and ICE are already in Raleigh and that they will be active tomorrow,” Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell told The Assembly and INDY on Monday night. “We have not been informed of nor are we coordinating or helping plan any of this, so we don’t know what activities they’ll be undertaking tomorrow, or really a lot of other details.”

U.S. immigration agents said they arrested more than 130 people in a weekend sweep through Charlotte. The Trump administration says the enforcement surge will combat crime. 

About 500 people showed up to protest in Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, Greg Lacour reported for The Assembly. But if the immigration action, which Border Patrol is calling Operation Charlotte’s Web, was meant to intimidate Latino residents, it appeared to have accomplished that Sunday, Greg reported: “On a sunny, breezy afternoon in the 70s, parks, shops, and parking lots that typically bustle with families and teenagers in areas like east Charlotte were largely deserted.”

The sources briefed on the planned activity near Raleigh did not know how many agents CBP would send, or whether their intended target meant the city, Wake County, or the entire Triangle. Stein called for Border Patrol agents to change their tactics.

“Our office is aware of reports that the Border Patrol is bringing its operation to Raleigh,” he said in a statement on Monday night. “Once again, I call on federal agents to target violent criminals, not neighbors walking down the street, going to church, or putting up Christmas decorations. Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin, as you are doing in Charlotte. 

“To the people of Raleigh: remain peaceful, and if you see something wrong, record it and report it to local law enforcement,” Stein added. “Let’s keep each other safe.”

— Jeffrey Billman

Thanks for reading The Caucus, a politics newsletter anchored by Bryan Anderson. Reach us with tips or ideas at politics@theassemblync.com.

Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to get The Assembly’s twice-weekly politics newsletter.

More From The Queen City

Here’s what else we’ve been reading this week about the immigration enforcement action in Charlotte.

Caught in the Web: Democratic lawmakers representing the Charlotte area said the arrests there amount to racist profiling, The Charlotte Observer reports. Democratic state Rep. Carolyn Logan called it “just a common case of profiling, is what they’re doing.”

Closing Time: Businesses along Charlotte’s South Boulevard, one of the city’s main commercial corridors for immigrant communities, are seeing steep drops in customers, WFAE reports. Some owners have temporarily closed out of fear for employees and patrons.

Purple People: The New York Times looks at the complicated politics of immigration in North Carolina, where President Donald Trump gained ground with Latino voters in the last election.

Avast! Blackbeard Videographer Continues Suit Against N.C.

Twelve years after Fayetteville videographer Rick Allen first accused the state of North Carolina of stealing and illegally publishing his videos and pictures of Blackbeard’s wrecked pirate ship, he is still fighting in court.

Allen, whose Nautilus Productions specializes in undersea videography and photography, took the matter to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, on October 22. A panel of three judges heard arguments in the case and will now decide whether Allen can continue his lawsuit, or if he’ll have to walk the plank.

“This case should have ended five years ago,” state Solicitor General Nick Brod told the judges, because the U.S. Supreme Court already ruled against Allen’s claim in 2020. Brod argued that a U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle was wrong to let Allen reopen it in 2021.

— Paul Woolverton

Around the State: Guilford Democrats select Amanda Cook to fill remainder of Cecil Brockman’s term (North State Journal). NC politicians have flocked to the hemp industry. This former governor is one of them (NC Newsline). Stein, Causey call on Congress to help Outer Banks homeowners (Carolina Journal).

Let us know what’s on your radar at politics@theassemblync.com.