Charlotte Is a Warning and a Blueprint

The patterns emerging across American cities reveal how federal crackdowns mutate depending on who’s prepared, who resists, and who cooperates.

Charlotte wasn’t supposed to be the next front line. For weeks, rumors swirled about federal attention on the city, but until Customs and Border Protection vehicles began appearing in neighborhoods and local leaders started issuing urgent statements, it felt like just another round of speculation. Then the arrests began. The operation was immediately br…