A federal law enforcement officer was injured Sunday afternoon when a driver rammed multiple vehicles during an immigration enforcement operation in Charlotte, N.C., as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing Operation Charlotte’s Web.
According to DHS, the incident occurred near the University City area when a U.S. citizen accelerated a van toward officers conducting an enforcement action, striking law enforcement vehicles before fleeing the scene.
“The driver triggered a dangerous high-speed chase through a densely populated area,” DHS said in a statement. “During the chase, he attempted to ram into law enforcement vehicles — posing a serious public safety threat. As agents were boxing him in, the driver proceeded to ram law enforcement vehicles in an attempt to escape.”
One officer was injured in the collision and treated at the scene, officials said.
Agents later arrested the suspect and discovered a firearm inside the van. DHS said the man has prior arrests for resisting law enforcement, public disturbance, and intoxication or disruptive conduct.
The confrontation came amid a major federal enforcement operation targeting criminal illegal aliens released under sanctuary policies in Charlotte and surrounding counties. DHS officials confirmed that at least 81 illegal immigrants have been arrested so far in the operation, which began over the weekend.
“Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public-safety threats are removed.”
DHS launched Operation Charlotte’s Web last week after the department reported that nearly 1,400 immigration detainers across North Carolina had gone unhonored by local authorities. Federal officials said the operation’s goal is to locate and remove offenders who were previously released despite serious criminal charges.
The Charlotte enforcement surge also follows the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a city light-rail train earlier this year — a case that prompted renewed attention on violent offenders and immigration enforcement.
Similar DHS operations have taken place in recent weeks across California, Illinois, Oregon, and New York as part of what officials describe as a nationwide crackdown on criminal aliens and public-safety threats.
