CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The U.S. Border Patrol is leaving the Charlotte area after arriving Saturday, making arrests by confronting and questioning Latino people in public places, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

There would be no further Border Patrol operations on Thursday, a press release from Sheriff Garry McFadden said. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue working in Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police also posted a statement on social media Thursday saying they received “reliable information” that the Border Patrol had departed the Charlotte area.

The actions of the federal police under a Trump administration immigration crackdown included questioning and sometimes detaining U.S. citizens, and were met with outrage and protests.

Masked federal agents in paramilitary gear worked out of large SUVs arresting people, prompting businesses to close, especially in east Charlotte.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said over 370 people have been arrested in the Charlotte area as of Thursday. DHS has declined to provide many details, and would not release the names or information on most of the people arrested or taken. It remained unclear what has happened to them.

Federal agents targeted grocery stores, churches, and residential areas. Throughout the week, agents faced opposition from protesters and community activists who tracked their movements and blew whistles to alert people to their presence, shouted in their faces, and filmed them.

Among other gatherings, members of the east Charlotte community have held loud protests in the evenings on Central Avenue that have the feel of a car parade and Latin street festival.

Some U.S. citizens were detained and some were accused of assaulting federal officers, but accounts made by the federal government conflict with accounts from the community.

Agents also made arrests in other North Carolina areas later in the week, including Raleigh.

Gov. Josh Stein has said the Trump administration would not provide information about the arrests.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has said little about the Border Patrol arrests this week, posting one update on the social media account X on Monday.

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