Multiple protests are planned across the area on Tuesday to mark one year of Trump’s second term.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Protestors are planning to gather in uptown Charlotte’s First Ward Park Monday to mark one year of President Donald Trump’s second term, with a particular focus on immigration enforcement in North Carolina.
The “Stop ICE Terror” protest is part of a nationwide movement that has gained particular traction in North Carolina following Border Patrol’s deployment to the state in November.
Organizers say this is meant to call for an end to their operations and to seek justice for Renee Good, Keith Porter and others they say have been impacted by immigration enforcement.
Operation Charlotte’s Web sent reverberations across the state. Federal officials called the deployment a success, saying they arrested 425 people.
“They were felt western North County, eastern North Carolina and other cities,” Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said. “There’s a sense that it’s coming here, wherever that here happens to be, even if it’s not in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County.”
The agency also said the operation is ongoing and that it is targeting dangerous criminals who are in the United States without proper authorization. However, presence has seemed to slow down since November.
As Charlotte waits to see if immigration enforcement will increase, Trump’s impact on the battleground state could be affected by upcoming midterm elections and a major U.S. Senate race.
“We’d expect this to be a good year for the Democratic Party in North Carolina, and I want to see how much that’s true and how much that plays out in these districts that are drawn pretty much to favor one party or the other,” Cooper said.
Cooper added Trump has had multiple other direct impacts on North Carolina, including tariffs and ongoing debates over Hurricane Helene funding.
“In western North Carolina, that feeling is that not enough is being done, and that there was a lot of lip service at the beginning, but that the relief hasn’t come,” Cooper said.
He added that Trump’s recent focus on foreign policy issues, including Venezuela and his pursuit of Greenland, indicates his priorities may be shifting in his second year.
Shifting Ground is a reporting project from the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative. The series explores how federal policy and funding changes are impacting Charlotte residents, neighborhoods, and organizations — and how communities are responding.
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