NC Gov. Josh Stein says White House didn't respond to Border Patrol questions

Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer on Nov 18, 2025

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North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein says he’s receiving little to no information from federal officials about Border Patrol’s operations and can’t say whether federal agents will move beyond the Charlotte and Raleigh areas.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 200 people in the Charlotte region since launching an operation called “Charlotte’s Web” on Saturday. Agents started detaining people in the Raleigh area Tuesday too, the News & Observer reported.

Speaking to reporters after touring a mental health facility in Charlotte Tuesday, Stein said he’s been unable to get answers on why Border Patrol chose North Carolina, how long they’ll be in the state or where they’ll go in North Carolina. Homeland Security officials have repeatedly issued statements that they “do not discuss future or potential operations” when asked by The Charlotte Observer about their plans in North Carolina.

“This is all information that we’re asking them to try to get more information, and we’ve not yet received it,” Stein said.

The governor, a Democrat, said his administration contacted the White House to discuss Border Patrol’s presence in North Carolina but hasn’t received a response. He said the state Department of Public Safety has received limited information from Border Patrol “to inform us they may be in some place.”

“There’s not a lot more information than that,” Stein said.

Homeland Security directed the Observer to past news releases about their operations in Charlotte when asked about Stein’s latest comments.

“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Spokespeople for the White House did not immediately respond to questions about Stein’s latest comments.

Stein on Tuesday also reiterated previous comments that he’d support the deportation of undocumented immigrants with a history of violent crime but said that’s not what’s happening in North Carolina. The governor said people are being “targeted” “because of the color of their skin,” and he cited the example of a naturalized U.S. citizen who told the Observer Border Patrol stopped him twice and broke the window of his truck.

“That is not how we’re supposed to do it in this country,” Stein said.

The governor highlighted a CBS News investigation that found only 16 of the 607 people recently detained by immigration agents in Chicago “have been identified by the federal government as a ‘high public safety risk’ because of their alleged criminal histories.”

“This is not a targeted operation going after a few truly bad people who are hurting folks in the state. They’re just sweeping up folks, causing fear, stoking division,” Stein said.