Thom Tillis wants answers from Homeland Security on Operation Charlotte's Web

Danielle Battaglia, The Charlotte Observer on Nov 20, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis called for oversight of the use of the U.S. Border Patrol in Charlotte during a Senate hearing Thursday.

Border Patrol agents began appearing throughout Charlotte Saturday near places like grocery stores, schools and churches, rounding up Hispanic residents, often forcefully, and with little information about what happens next to the people detained.

The agents have since expanded throughout North Carolina, to other cities including Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Hickory.

“I want to make sure that Homeland Security can provide me with the definitive list of people who were detained, how long they were detained, whether or not they were released and, when property was damaged, whether or not they’ve been provided proper restitution,” Tillis said, in the hearing. “We’re the party of law and order, and I want to make sure that we’re also orderly in the process of enforcing it.”

Tillis’ staff did not immediately respond to calls or texts for comment about whether he has formally asked for this information from the Department of Homeland Security.

Many of Tillis’ Republican colleagues have celebrated the Border Patrol’s presence in North Carolina as part of what it calls Operation Charlotte’s Web.

“I’m very proud of what these men and women are doing to keep our border secure and remove dangerous folks from our community and other communities around the country,” said Rep. Tim Moore, a Republican from Kings Mountain, in an interview on Queen City News.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from Hickory, also lent his support to the Border Patrol in several interviews throughout the week.

“What I think that people do not realize is that sanctuary cities are not protecting immigrants,” Harrigan said in an interview with Real America’s Voice. “They are protecting criminals. That is a key distinction that we’ve got to understand, because when you partner these sanctuary cities with ultra-liberal policies that allow judges and magistrates to simply release people back out to the community, when they do not force consequences for criminal conduct, you end up having mayhem and chaos in your city, and we’ve got to get back over the hurdle and make Charlotte safe again.”

Last year, Charlotte had about 12 homicides per 100,000 people, compared to Washington’s 27.3 per 100,000 people, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

But Charlotte drew national attention in September after video was publicly released of the August stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, by a man with 14 previous arrests, who was out of jail on bail on a charge of misusing the 911 system. He was native to the United States.

That led to calls from Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, for Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to ask for help from the National Guard.

Last month, Tillis told Attorney General Pam Bondi that calling in the National Guard could mask “an abject failure” by state and local leaders and that he didn’t believe North Carolina needed the help.

“If I thought that I needed the president to deploy troops to keep North Carolina safe, I would have considered myself a failure as a state leader,” Tillis said, drawing from his experience as the state’s previous House speaker.

Why is Border Patrol in Charlotte? Tillis points to sheriff

Tillis lives in Huntersville, 20 minutes from Charlotte.

On Thursday, he said during a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary that he believes Border Patrol is now in his state because Sheriff Garry McFadden used “sanctuary city policy.”

“There have been people released,” Tillis said. “There have been bad outcomes. So a part of the reason that we’re here is because of those bad decisions.”

Tillis didn’t get into further details, and was interrupted for unrelated votes when the committee reached a quorum as he spoke.

Sanctuary cities are banned under state law, and North Carolina lawmakers recently passed a bill that requires sheriffs to comply with requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

McFadden has argued for years that holding defendants at the request of ICE after they have posted bond and complied with court-ordered terms of release is unconstitutional.

Charlotte is considered, by the nonprofit Welcoming America, “a Certified Welcoming City.” This distinction means it’s known for policies and programs surrounding immigrant inclusion, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

That doesn’t keep the sheriff from cooperating with ICE.

Despite that, Trump deemed it a sanctuary city.

Trump has benefited from the support of North Carolinians. The purple state has elected Trump to the White House in the past three elections, despite simultaneously electing Democratic governors. A recent poll by conservative news outlet Carolina Journal found that Trump’s approval rating is falling in North Carolina.