Homeland Security Cracks Down on Charlotte: A Tale of Two Borders
When the Department of Homeland Security flexes its muscles for 'Operation Charlotte's Web,' arresting 81 people on day one, Axios runs with it, highlighting local officials' 'unnecessary fear and uncertainty.' Masked agents swoop in, local businesses shutter, and sanctuary cities like Charlotte become prime targets. Yet, the same Biden administration that deploys federal forces to Charlotte,
North Carolina, claiming to target 'criminal illegal aliens,' simultaneously greenlights hundreds of billions in aid, no-strings-attached, to a foreign state engaged in mass displacement and alleged war crimes. One type of 'border security' gets federal agents and headlines; the other gets blank checks and unwavering political protection. While DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declares 'surging
resources' to combat 'terrorizing' immigrants in American cities—a dramatic framing for mostly civil infractions—the administration remains conspicuously silent on the security of its other, far more financially significant, border: the one Israel continues to redraw. The 'aggressive tactics' deplored by advocates in Charlotte are considered laudable when applied by an ally. It's almost as if some
borders are permeable, even encouraged, for certain populations, while others are to be militarized with extreme prejudice—especially when the perceived threat is brown people seeking asylum.