ICE Raids Inflicted Lasting Damage on American Businesses

May 21, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC

Manuel Betancur, the owner of Manolo’s Bakery in Charlotte, North Carolina, remembers the messages inscribed on some of the birthday cakes that never got picked up that Saturday in November. “Feliz cumpleaños, papá” and “Te quiero, mamá,” they read. “Happy birthday, dad.” “I love you, mom.”

The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Charlotte’s Web on Nov. 15 of last year, part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Panic coursed through parts of the city of almost a million people as reports of sightings of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border ...

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