Border officials cite record enforcement as North Carolina operations expand under Trump. This newsletter is supported by readers like you.
By Annie Dance | Cops & Congress | News & Commentary
SAN DIEGO — Senior U.S. border and immigration officials said on Dec. 13 that the Trump administration’s stepped-up enforcement strategy is reshaping not only the Southwest border but interior operations across states such as North Carolina, with implications for public safety, taxpayer costs and national security.
Speaking at a press conference, White House Border Czar Tom Homan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott described what they called the “most secure border in the history of this nation,” while linking federal border policy directly to high-profile interior operations, including Operation Charlotte’s Web in the Charlotte area.
“Border security is national security,” Scott said, arguing that the administration’s approach has allowed federal agencies to redeploy personnel and resources far beyond the border. “If we can’t identify and control who and what comes into our home, any conversation about security is a fraud.”
The Trump administration says it has located more than 62,000 migrant children whose whereabouts were previously unknown, citing human trafficking and labor exploitation cases and pointing to failures in sponsor vetting under the prior administration. The number stems largely from a DHS inspector general report showing hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors were difficult to track after release to sponsors. Supporters frame the effort as overdue enforcement and child protection, while critics argue the issue reflects long-standing administrative gaps rather than children being truly “lost.”
From the border to Charlotte
Operation Charlotte’s Web, which has involved Border Patrol tactical units such as BORTAC working alongside ICE and other federal agencies, reflects a broader shift described by officials: with fewer illegal crossings at the border, agents are increasingly supporting interior enforcement.
Homan said that the dynamic is intentional. “Just because you snuck through in the fog… you’re not home free,” he said. “We will come find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you — whether it’s ICE, Border Patrol or another federal partner.”
Officials said similar operations are now possible nationwide because border apprehensions have dropped sharply. Scott said illegal crossings are down more than 90 percent from peak levels during the Biden administration, freeing agents to assist with arrests tied to criminal investigations, fugitive cases and national security threats.
Public safety and national security claims
Homan repeatedly framed the strategy as a response to terrorism, fentanyl trafficking and human smuggling. He said the federal government has already carried out more than 600,000 removals since Trump returned to office, calling it “a historic record.”
“We are prioritizing public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan said. “Thousands of national security threats have been arrested. Most of them don’t have a criminal history because their whole game is to lay low.”
Scott added that an “all-of-government” approach — involving the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and even the Department of Defense — has multiplied enforcement capacity. “This government is united in a way I’ve never seen in my entire career,” he said.
What it means for North Carolina taxpayers
Officials also emphasized cost savings, a point likely to resonate in states like North Carolina where local agencies are increasingly interacting with federal enforcement.
Scott pointed to a self-deportation tool, the CBP Home app, saying voluntary departures save taxpayers significant money. “It’s well over $10,000 in savings for every taxpayer, depending on the case,” he said, compared with detention, arrest, and removal.
Homan said the administration’s expansion of immigration enforcement — including hiring 10,000 additional deportation officers authorized by Congress — is designed to be more efficient in the long term, particularly in jurisdictions that cooperate with federal authorities.
“Getting somebody in a county jail is always faster, more efficient and safer,” Homan said, criticizing so-called sanctuary policies for forcing agents into neighborhoods instead of controlled settings.
Broader implications
For North Carolina and the rest of the country, officials argued the strategy marks a fundamental change from recent years: fewer resources spent processing migrants at the border and more directed toward interior enforcement, criminal investigations and intelligence-driven operations.
“The message sent to the world is we actually believe in the laws we have in place,” Scott said. “And that message alone changes behavior.”
Homan framed the approach as both a security measure and a deterrent. “A secure border means stronger national security,” he said. “But most importantly, it means saving lives — saving Americans’ lives.”
As operations like Charlotte’s Web continue, federal officials made clear they see interior enforcement not as a temporary surge but as a core element of national security policy under the Trump administration, with ripple effects from local communities to national enforcement.
