After a Border Patrol operation began in Charlotte, a plumber who works in construction in the city’s southeast decided not to leave his home for several weeks, fearing he would be detained and deported.
“We have to hide as if we were criminals, something we are not, but that’s how they see us,” he said, asking to remain anonymous. He has lived in the United States for 25 years, 13 of them in Charlotte.
His fear mirrors the anxiety spreading through immigrant communities after the weeklong federal operation known as “Charlotte’s Webb”. Although authorities said the mission focused on people with outstanding deportation orders, early data and advocates tell a different story: many of those detained were longtime workers with no criminal history.
On Dec. 3, the Department of Homeland Security reported more than 425 arrests in the Charlotte area. Of the first 130 cases reviewed, only 44 involved people with criminal records. Community groups in the Triangle area, including Siembra NC, also documented dozens of arrests of construction and landscaping workers.
“They say they’re going after criminals, people with records, but that’s not true. They’re coming after us, the working class,” the plumber told Enlace Latino NC.
As arrests unfolded, fear spread among construction workers across North Carolina, halting projects, delaying contracts and striking an industry that relies heavily on immigrant labor.
For workers themselves, the impact went far beyond economics: daily routines, family decisions and even the simplest errands were suddenly weighed against the risk of being detained.
“Survive on what I have”
The Charlotte worker, who files taxes as an independent contractor, has been surviving on money he had set aside for taxes.
“By the end of the year, I’ll owe about five or six thousand dollars”, he said.
His U.S.-born children are anxious. “My son is very scared. At night he checks on me: ‘Are you OK, Dad?’ In the morning, before school: ‘I hope you’re OK when I get back,’” he said.
Even after the Border Patrol presence was not visible anymore in the state, he has stayed home, fearing operations could return, as residents have reported on Chicago.
“My plan is to survive on what I have until the second week of December and then see how things look so I can get back to work,” he said.
A routine transformed
Three hours away, in Zebulon near Raleigh, Carlos, a pseudonym used for protection, decided to keep working as an HVAC technician despite the uncertainty.
When he arrived at job sites, “they looked completely deserted,” he told Enlace Latino NC. Carlos has lived in North Carolina for more than 20 years. “Many construction sites shut down because most of us who work in this sector are Latino or Hispanic.”
Over the weekend, his family has limited outings and relied on his two sons, one a U.S. citizen and the other a DACA recipient, to buy groceries. Carlos also suspended his weekend soccer league, which typically gathers dozens of construction workers.
“Several people I know were affected. Friends told me some of their guys got taken,” he said. “I had to stop everything because people were scared. And I include myself.”
Those individual decisions to stay home quickly added up, affecting the broader economy and an industry deeply dependent on immigrant labor.
Economic fallout
In Raleigh, a construction contractor with 23 years of experience and nearly two decades running his own business said fear among his workers had an immediate impact. His team of twelve Hispanic workers stayed home for about two weeks.
Some clients agreed to wait. Others did not.
“We lost around $60,000 in contracts,” he told Enlace Latino NC. “Some jobs were urgent. If we didn’t go, they had to hire another company.”
The contractor, who has legal immigration status along with his wife, said many of his employees do not. In his experience, Latino workers are the most willing to take on demanding construction jobs to support their families.
“Some of them are the only ones bringing income into their homes,” he said. “Their fear isn’t just being detained, it’s the inhumane treatment they’ve seen.”
Construction plays a central role in North Carolina’s economy. In 2024, the sector generated $41.4 billion for the state. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), one in four construction workers in North Carolina is an undocumented immigrant.
NAHB president Buddy Hughes warned that “mass deportation is not the answer” and advocated for immigration reform. “With a shortage of more than 200,000 workers in the construction industry, any disruption to the labor force would raise housing costs, limit supply and worsen the nation’s affordability crisis,” he said in a statement to Enlace Latino NC.
In early December, the contractor —who is also a pastor— delivered food, alongside volunteers, to the family of one of his workers.
“They have kids and nothing to eat because the father hadn’t been able to work,” he said.
The lasting impact
For Carlos, who is adjusting his immigration status through his youngest son, the enforcement surge has triggered fears that extend beyond the one-week operation.
“We’re afraid our process might stop or something might change,” he said. “You know the president has been changing a lot of legislation. It makes you think.”
Since January 2025, the administration of President Donald Trump has toughened immigration enforcement. They have rolled back more flexible guidance, limited prosecutorial discretion and increased detention for people with pending cases.
Workers say they sense a broader cultural shift.
“With this president, it feels like the racism that already existed has woken up — what many people kept inside,” the worker said. “In past years, you didn’t see so much hostility toward immigrants.”
Outside a Home Depot in Charlotte, another Latino construction worker described to Enlace Latino NC a similar mix of fear and disillusionment —even though he has legal status and voted for the president. Recent AP-NORC national polls show declining approval of the president’s handling of immigration and the economy.
“This chaos, this disgrace… it even makes me regret voting for him [Donald Trump],” said Olman Cantarero, originally from Honduras and a U.S. resident for 28 years.
“It’s very stressful, even if you’re good. You feel like you have to carry your passport because sometimes just looking Latino is enough,” he added.
Returning to ‘normal’?
Construction sites across the state are slowly returning to activity, but caution remains.
“We have to stay alert to our surroundings, what we hear and see, to know when it’s safe to go back to work,” said the Charlotte worker, who still remains sheltered at home.
Anna Hernández, executive director of the community organization Transforming Nation Ford, told Enlace Latino NC that the moment reminds her of the early months of the pandemic.
“Returning to normal is going to be a long process… not only economically, but for our health, our safety and our community,” she said.
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