Despite Charlotte being thousands of miles away from the nearest U.S. border, national news reports say that U.S. Border Patrol could soon be on the way to the Queen City.

U.S. Border Patrol’s presence in cities across the nation has been part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Most recently in Chicago, the agency sent 200 border patrol agents who made 1,500 arrests since their arrival in September.

Details of the border patrol’s plans are still unknown. Here’s what we know about the organization, where it has jurisdiction and its involvement in other U.S. cities.

Where does border patrol usually have jurisdiction?

While they are often linked together, U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are different agencies.

U.S. Border Patrol acts as the law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The organization is responsible for protecting the country’s borders from smugglers, traffickers and illegal crossers.

The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada. It also watches over the 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the Island of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

“Although the Border Patrol has changed dramatically since its inception in 1924, its overall mission remains unchanged: to detect and prevent the illegal entry of individuals into the United States,” the agency says in a description of its duties on its website. “Together with other law enforcement officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work, facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband.”

Immigration violations within the United States are usually handled by ICE.

How has the Trump administration used them?

Despite U.S. Border Patrol usually focusing on ports of entry into the country, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said these agents have authority anywhere in the nation.

“Their ability to operate nationwide ensures border patrol can enforce immigration laws, combat smuggling and address national security threats anywhere in the United States,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told the New York Times. “And that immigration enforcement is not limited to border regions when individuals who evade detection at the border can still be apprehended.”

While border patrol agents have been used to make arrests domestically in the past, it’s not common.

In other immigration crackdowns across the nation — such as in Chicago and Los Angeles — border patrol was usually not sent alone. They’ve been accompanied by ICE agents or the National Guard. It’s unclear if these other federal agencies would also make their way to Charlotte.

After the death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail line in August, groups like the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police requested Trump to send the National Guard to Charlotte to curb crime. According to CMPD, there has been an 8% reduction in crime overall and a 20% reduction in violent crime in Charlotte since last year.

A recent Charlotte Observer investigation found that ICE arrests in Charlotte were up three times in the first half of 2025 as compared to last year.

©2025 The Charlotte Observer. Visit at charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.