U.S. immigration agents are targeting Charlotte, North Carolina, despite objections from local leaders, prompting activists, elected officials and community groups to monitor any sweeps and support vulnerable residents.
President Donald Trump's administration confirmed Saturday that a surge of immigration enforcement in North Carolina's largest city had begun. Agents were seen making arrests in multiple locations.
It is the latest step in the Trump administration's strategy of putting immigration agents or the military on the streets of several large, Democratic-run cities. The push has caused fear and anxiety, especially among people who lack legal status to be in the country, and sparked a number of lawsuits.
Here’s what to know:
Charlotte is a racially diverse city of more than 900,000 residents, including more than 150,000 who are foreign-born, according to local officials. It is run by a Democratic mayor, though North Carolina's two U.S. senators are Republican and Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.
Crime was down this year through August, compared with the same eight-month period in 2024, with homicides, rapes, robberies and motor vehicle thefts decreasing by more than 20%, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks crime across the country using local data for its Real-Time Crime Index.
But the Trump administration has seized upon the August fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train to argue that Democratic-led cities fail to protect residents. A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with that murder.
There is no indication, however, that border agents could or would have a role in enforcing local or state laws.
Critics have characterized the arrival of border agents as an invasion. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said the agents “are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.”
Local groups are training volunteers to protest and to safely document any immigration sweeps. They are also informing immigrants of their rights.
“We’ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country when the federal government gets involved,” state Rep. Jordan Lopez said.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell urged the public to “meet the moment peacefully” and “reduce panic.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has said it has no authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in such operations.
There is no sign that the guard will go to Charlotte, though three Republican members of North Carolina's congressional delegation have urged Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to request it.
The governor's office said local police are a better choice to keep neighborhoods safe.
The Trump administration has deployed the guard to the District of Columbia and the Los Angeles area, citing crime and a need to protect immigration agents, and Memphis, Tennessee. Courts have blocked the guard from operating so far in the Chicago area and in Portland, Oregon.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Zarutska.
Associated Press writer Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.
A sign in Spanish that reads at top: "Know Your Rights" is displayed outside of a restaurant store front, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Willy Aceituno, left, makes a police report with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer N. Sherill, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers broke his window during an enforcement operation, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
BINYAMINA-GIV’AT ADA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2025--
SonicEdge, a pioneer in micro-acoustic innovation, today announced a strategic partnership with Earfab, the innovator of custom-fit hearing technology, to co-develop a new generation of personalized audio solutions that unite comfort, precision, and hearing safety.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251209472421/en/
By combining SonicEdge’s high-performance MEMS speaker-in-chip technology with Earfab’s custom-fit eartips – crafted using its proprietary earfabSCAN 3D smartphone scanning platform – the collaboration delivers a first-of-its-kind experience that redefines in-ear performance. The joint solution provides a perfect acoustic seal for enhanced sound fidelity, improved active noise cancellation, and long-term listening comfort – without compromising hearing health.
“At SonicEdge, we believe that better sound should also mean better well-being,” said Moti Margalit, CEO of SonicEdge. “By integrating Earfab’s precision-fit technology with our high-performance MEMS, we’re enabling our customers to create a new class of in-ear products that deliver audiophile-grade sound with everyday comfort and safety.”
The partnership addresses a growing demand for hearing-safe, high-performance in-ear audio tailored to each user. Earfab’s distributed manufacturing network enables users worldwide to scan their ears remotely and receive locally produced, perfectly matched eartips – minimizing waste, reducing cost, and ensuring accessibility at scale.
Jesper Aaris-Winther, CEO of Earfab, added, “Our collaboration with SonicEdge accelerates the transformation from traditional hearing protection to fully integrated hearing wellness. Together, we’re enabling global access to custom-fit audio products that balance performance, protection, and personalization.”
This collaboration marks a major advancement in scalable custom-fit manufacturing for the audio industry. SonicEdge’s compact MEMS pair seamlessly with Earfab’s digital scanning and distributed production model, offering manufacturers and OEMs a complete, end-to-end personalization solution.
To learn more about the SonicEdge x Earfab partnership and upcoming product innovations, visit https://sonicedge.io/
About SonicEdge
Founded by Moti Margalit, PhD and Ari Mizrachi in 2019, SonicEdge is transforming the audio industry with revolutionary miniature speakers based on proven silicon technology. As pioneers in advanced sound generation, Sonic Edge creates breakthrough audio solutions that pack more performance into incredibly small spaces. The approach builds on the same reliable silicon technology that powers billions of smart devices worldwide, from phones to cars, enabling us to produce high-quality audio products at scale. The technology gets better with each generation, doubling sound output from the same tiny space every two years. By combining multiple audio functions into single, compact packages, Sonic Edge continually improves both performance and design possibilities. SonicEdge keeps pushing what’s possible in audio technology, delivering solutions that combine amazing sound quality with groundbreaking new features in ever-smaller designs.
About Earfab
Earfab is a pioneering hearing tech company founded in 2020. We specialize in delivering custom in-ear solutions including hearing protection, communication earpieces, and audio devices through our proprietary earfabSCAN app and distributed production network. Our mission is to bridge audio fidelity, comfort, and hearing health, enabling immersive listening experiences without compromise.
Credit: SonicEdge
