North Carolina city braces for Border Patrol agents and immigration sweeps. Here’s what to know

Local administration say federal immigration agents plan to target North Carolina s largest city prompting activists elected administrators and public groups to monitor any sweeps and aid vulnerable Charlotte residents The federal governing body has not publicly broadcasted the move But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden noted he was informed that U S Customs and Demarcation Protection could start an enforcement operation Saturday or soon after the weekend It would be another step in the Trump administration s strategy of putting immigration agents or the military on the streets of particular of America s largest cities run by Democrats The push has caused fear and anxiety especially among people who don t have legal status in the U S and sparked a number of lawsuits challenging the tactics Here s what to know Why would agents go to Charlotte Charlotte is a racially diverse city of more than residents including more than who are foreign-born according to local agents It is run by a Democratic mayor though North Carolina s two U S senators are Republican and President Donald Trump won the state all three times that he s run for office Crime was down this year through August compared to the same eight-month period in with homicides rapes robberies and motor truck thefts decreasing by more than according to AH Datalytics which tracks crime across the country using local records for its Real-Time Crime Index But the Trump administration has used the August fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskaha on a Charlotte light-rail train as evidence that Democratic-led cities fail to protect residents A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder There is no indication however that limit agents could or would have a role in enforcing local or state laws How have locals reacted Critics have described the arrival of boundary agents as an invasion Local groups are training participants to protest and to safely document any immigration sweeps They re also informing immigrants of their rights We ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country when the federal establishment gets involved state Rep Jordan Lopez declared Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell urged the general to meet the moment peacefully and reduce panic The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has revealed it has no authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in operations by Customs and Demarcation Protection Is the National Guard involved There is no sign that the National Guard will go to Charlotte though three Republican members of North Carolina s congressional delegation have urged Democratic Gov Josh Stein a Democrat to make that request The governor s office commented local police are a better choice to keep neighborhoods safe The Trump administration has deployed the Guard to the District of Columbia and the Los Angeles area citing crime and a need to protect immigration agents and Memphis Tennessee A judge so far has stopped the Guard from working in the Chicago area AP reporter Christopher L Keller contributed from Albuquerque New Mexico Source