Federal agents launch immigration crackdown in city of Charlotte

Federal agents have descended on the city of Charlotte in North Carolina as part of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said.

Federal immigration authorities carried out nearly 100 arrests in the Charlotte area on Saturday, according to CBS, the BBC's US news partner.

Local officials, including Mayor Vi Lyles, released a joint statement criticising the operation, saying it was causing "unnecessary fear and uncertainty" in the community.

Since Trump's return to office, he has deployed troops to Washington DC, Los Angeles and Chicago to deliver on his promise of "the largest deportation programme" in US history.

The DHS announced "Operation Charlotte's Web" on Saturday, saying "criminal illegal aliens" would be targeted in the Democratic-run city.

"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Armoured vehicles and special operations teams could be involved in the north Charlotte crackdown, according to internal government documents seen by CBS.

Several church members tending to the front garden of a church in east Charlotte fled into woods when agents arrived and detained one man, The Charlotte Observer reported, quoting the church's pastor.

"We thought church was safe and nothing [was] gonna happen," a 15-year-old witness told the newspaper.

Officials said there were "a number of organisations standing ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance on immigration matters".

The DHS said it was carrying out the operation because North Carolina had failed to adhere to requests to keep nearly 1,400 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in custody, who had been released due to "sanctuary policies".

Charlotte is not a sanctuary city - which have policies in place to limit the assistance given to federal immigration authorities - but it is a "certified welcoming city". This is a formal designation for cities that are committed to immigration inclusion.

"President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won't," the DHS said.

Charlotte is an ethnically diverse city, with about 17% of residents being born outside of the country, according to Data US.

DHS has not said how long the raids will last. Chicago's crackdown, which began in September is still ongoing.

Earlier in the week, US representative and Democrat Alma Adams said she was informed of the operation and was "extremely concerned" about Border Patrol and ICE agents arriving in North Carolina.

The next city on Trump's list is set to be New Orleans, according to CBS, and that as many as 200 agents could be deployed there.

Operations in previous cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have come under fire over concerns of excessive use of force.