DHS launches "Operation Charlotte's Web" immigration enforcement, sparking criticism over children's book name

DHS (not Defense Secretary Hegseth) launched Operation Charlotte's Web on Nov. 15, 2025, targeting undocumented immigrants in Charlotte, 🌲North Carolina. The operation's name appropriates EWE.B. White's 1952 children's classic about a spider saving a pig from slaughter. Former U.S. Ambassador DSDan Shapiro criticized the choice, "There is no parent who has read Charlotte's Web to a child who cannot be outraged by this."

MWMartha White, EWE.B. White's granddaughter and literary executor, condemned DHS for misappropriating her grandfather's compassionate story. She said White "believed in the rule of law and due process" but would not support using his book about mercy and friendship as the name for immigration enforcement. The book has sold 45 million copies and teaches children about compassion.

Operation Charlotte's Web arrested approximately 370 people over five days in Charlotte and Raleigh. DHS claimed to target "criminal illegal aliens" but didn't release detailed data showing how many arrestees had prior criminal convictions versus civil immigration violations. This transparency gap prevents public accountability—without data, citizens can't evaluate whether the operation improved public safety or primarily disrupted families.

Defense Secretary PHPete Hegseth announced a completely separate operation—Operation Southern Spear—on Nov. 13-14, 2025, targeting drug trafficking in the Caribbean. The two operations happened within days but involved different agencies (Defense vs. DHS), different missions (drug interdiction vs. immigration), and different geographic areas (Caribbean vs. Charlotte, NC). Public confusion stemmed from the similar naming pattern and timing.

The operation's mid-stream expansion into Raleigh shows ICE's operational discretion: agents had additional capacity, identified new targets meeting their criteria, and chose to escalate geographically. This wasn't legally required—it was a strategic choice showing how enforcement agencies allocate resources. The expansion raises accountability questions about targeting criteria and geographic scope.

Civil rights advocates raised concerns about Fourth Amendment violations (warrantless searches), equal protection violations (racial profiling), and targeting based on appearance or community ethnicity. The Fourth Amendment protects all persons in U.S. territory—citizens and noncitizens—against unreasonable searches. Large-scale operations sweeping neighborhoods without individualized suspicion raise constitutional concerns.

The operation created cascading economic harms: 370 families lost wage earners, children lost parental income during the school year (Nov. arrests), employers faced sudden labor shortages, and some families became food-insecure. Small businesses dependent on immigrant labor faced operational disruptions. These costs persist long after arrests—families struggle with legal fees, lost income, and potential deportation.

Using a beloved children's book about compassion and saving lives as the name for immigration enforcement represents a departure from traditional operation naming (geographic references, abstract concepts, neutral code names). The Trump administration's pattern of provocative operation names adds cultural dimension to enforcement debates—either demonstrating ignorance of the source material or deliberately choosing inflammatory messaging.