Granddaughter of 'Charlotte's Web' author blasts DHS for use of book title in Charlotte immigration sweep

The granddaughter of E.B. White, the writer of the classical 1952 children's publication "Charlotte's Web," slammed the Trump medication connected Monday for utilizing the book's rubric arsenic an inspiration for its migration raid successful Charlotte, North Carolina, which officials are calling "Operation Charlotte’s Web."

Martha White said her grandfather, who died successful 1985, would not enactment the migration sweeps successful Charlotte and crossed the country, arsenic she denounced the Department of Homeland Security's notation to her grandfather's beloved tale.

"He believed successful the regularisation of instrumentality and owed process," Martha White, who works arsenic her grandfather's literate executor, said successful a statement. "He surely didn’t judge successful masked men, successful unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs oregon summons."

She emphasized that successful "Charlotte’s Web," the spider devoted her beingness connected the workplace to protecting a pig named Wilbur and securing his freedom.

CHARLOTTE PROMISES TO RESIST PENDING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION RAIDS: 'CAMPAIGN OF TERROR'

U.S. Border Patrol Commander astatine ample Gregory Bovino, right, looks connected arsenic a detainee sits by a car, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, successful Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP)

The medication and Republican leaders person utilized assorted catchy phrases for migration operations arsenic they question to transportation retired President Donald Trump's wide deportation agenda, including by naming migrant holding facilities Alligator Alcatraz successful Florida, Speedway Slammer successful Indiana and Cornhusker Clink successful Nebraska.

Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol authoritative present starring the cognition successful Charlotte, was the look of the "Operation At Large" successful Los Angeles and "Operation Midway Blitz" successful Chicago earlier this year.

"'Wherever the upwind takes us. High, low. Near, far. East, west. North, south. We instrumentality to the breeze, we spell arsenic we please,'" Bovino quoted from "Charlotte's Web" successful a societal media station connected Sunday, soon aft the migration expanse successful North Carolina's largest metropolis began.

"This time, the breeze deed Charlotte similar a storm. From borderline towns to the Queen City, our agents spell wherever the ngo calls," helium continued.

The migration expanse began implicit the weekend, and DHS said connected Monday that much than 130 migrants were arrested successful 2 days. The bureau besides said astir 1,400 detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement person not been honored by section authorities.

PROTESTERS SCREAM 'GET THE F--- OUT OF MY CITY!' AT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING IMMIGRATION RAID

Martha White said her grandfather, who died successful 1985, would not enactment the migration sweeps successful Charlotte and crossed the country. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Officials successful Charlotte person vowed to defy the migration sweeps and basal up for the migrant community.

In a associated connection connected Monday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed said the raids are "causing unnecessary fearfulness and uncertainty successful our assemblage arsenic caller operations successful different cities person resulted successful radical without transgression records being detained and convulsive protests being the effect of unwarranted actions."

"Our organizations judge that our diverseness makes america stronger," the connection reads. "And with that belief, we are unwavering successful our committedness to a harmless and welcoming assemblage wherever everyone tin turn and thrive. It is captious for each residents to consciousness unafraid successful our assemblage and cognize they tin unrecorded their lives without being fearful portion walking down the street, going to school, enactment oregon the market store."

"We privation radical successful Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to cognize we basal with each residents who simply privation to spell astir their lives, contributing to our larger community," it added. "Each of our organizations person made commitments to the radical we service to support their rights and dignity. We are committed to pursuing the instrumentality and to protecting the rights of each radical who telephone Charlotte and Mecklenburg County home."

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said the cognition is "stoking fearfulness and dividing our community." (Getty Images/Allison Joyce)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein besides stated that the cognition is "stoking fearfulness and dividing our community."

"We’ve seen masked, heavy equipped agents successful paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars targeting American citizens based connected their tegument color, racially profiling and picking up random radical successful parking tons and disconnected of our sidewalks," Stein said successful a video posted to X.

Trump has targeted Democrat-led cities for migrant sweeps arsenic portion of his wide deportation plan. His medication earlier this twelvemonth reversed a Biden medication regularisation that prohibited raids successful delicate areas specified arsenic churches, schools and hospitals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.