Sen. Thom Tillis seeks DHS records after Border Patrol’s Charlotte immigration operation raised detention and force questions

Oversight request follows November 2025 enforcement surge that drew conflicting official accounts and civil-rights concerns

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide records and detailed explanations related to a large-scale Border Patrol-led immigration enforcement operation carried out in the Charlotte area in mid-November 2025. The request focuses on how the operation was authorized, what legal standards governed stops and arrests, and how federal officials are addressing allegations that U.S. citizens were detained or subjected to force during encounters with agents.

The enforcement effort, publicly referred to as “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” began on November 15, 2025. Federal officials described the initiative as an interior enforcement surge aimed at apprehending people without legal status who were deemed public safety threats. Local officials in Charlotte, however, said the operation generated widespread disruption in immigrant communities and raised questions about communications with local government and law enforcement.

In his request to DHS, Tillis characterized the operation’s outcomes as mixed: he praised arrests of individuals described as having serious criminal histories while seeking clarification on reports that others were stopped or detained despite being U.S. citizens. The senator’s questions also extend beyond Charlotte, citing similar concerns raised by reports about enforcement actions in Minneapolis. The request frames these cases as part of a broader need for transparency around DHS interior operations, including how agents determine whom to stop, what warrants or authorities are used, and what documentation exists to support those decisions.

What happened in Charlotte

During the Charlotte operation, public reporting documented multiple stops in areas with significant immigrant populations and a wave of community reaction that included business interruptions and protests. Local officials said they had limited advance notice and limited visibility into operational details, while federal officials emphasized public safety objectives.

• The operation unfolded over several days beginning November 15, 2025, and expanded beyond Charlotte into other parts of North Carolina.
• Local officials and residents reported aggressive tactics in some encounters and questioned the role of Border Patrol in a non-border city.
• Federal messaging about the operation’s duration conflicted with statements from local officials. On November 20, 2025, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden’s office said the Border Patrol portion had ended, while DHS officials publicly stated the operation was not ending.

Citizen-detention allegations at the center of the inquiry

One widely reported incident involved Willy Aceituno, a Honduran-born U.S. citizen living in Charlotte, who said Border Patrol agents stopped him twice on November 15, 2025. He reported that agents broke his vehicle window during the second encounter, detained him briefly, and released him after he produced proof of citizenship. Federal officials disputed aspects of his account, describing his behavior as erratic and asserting agents were responding to the situation as it developed.

The senator’s oversight request seeks documentation that could clarify whether such incidents were isolated, substantiated, or tied to broader operational guidance.

Tillis’ records request sets up a new phase of scrutiny over how DHS conducts high-visibility interior enforcement operations, particularly when allegations involve mistaken identity, use of force, property damage, and unclear standards for initiating stops. DHS has not publicly released a full after-action accounting of the Charlotte operation that addresses each allegation raised in Tillis’ inquiry.