Beloved Children's Book Title Co-opted for Immigration Crackdown
The Trump administration faces sharp criticism from the family of E.B. White after the Department of Homeland Security used the title of his classic children's novel "Charlotte's Web" to name a recent immigration enforcement operation in North Carolina.
Martha White, who oversees her late grandfather's literary estate, expressed outrage at what she called the government's inappropriate appropriation of the beloved story. Over 130 arrests were made during the weekend operation targeting undocumented immigrants in the Charlotte metropolitan area.
Operation Charlotte's Web Sparks Family Backlash
In a strongly worded statement to CNN, Martha White emphasized that her grandfather "believed in the rule of law and due process" but would never have supported the tactics employed during the immigration sweep. She specifically condemned what she described as "masked men in unmarked cars raiding people's homes and workplaces without IDs or summons."
The controversy intensified when Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, quoted directly from the children's book in a social media post celebrating the operation's success. "Wherever the wind takes us. High, low. Near, far. East, west. North, south. We take to the breeze, we go as we please," he wrote, adapting the novel's famous lines.
Martha White countered by referencing the book's central theme of compassion, quoting Charlotte the spider's words: "By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a little. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
Local Officials Decry Immigration Operation
The Department of Homeland Security announced "Operation Charlotte's Web" on Saturday, describing it as targeting "criminal illegal aliens who flocked to the Tar Heel State because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them." However, this characterization was immediately challenged by local officials and fact-checkers.
Despite DHS claims, Charlotte is not officially designated as a "sanctuary city." The city holds the formal status of "Certified Welcoming City," which recognizes municipal efforts toward immigrant inclusion rather than indicating non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, joined the criticism, accusing federal agents of "stoking fear" and engaging in "racial profiling" during the Charlotte-area operations. Local officials reported that the immigration sweep created "unnecessary fear and uncertainty" and sparked "community chaos" among immigrant populations.
The operation represents part of an ongoing immigration enforcement surge across the Charlotte region under the Trump administration's policies. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the significant number of arrests while defending the operation's tactics and naming convention.
