A veteran border official told Newsmax on Saturday that the recent federal immigration sweep in North Carolina reflects long-standing labor incentives in the state rather than a political effort.
Twenty-one-year Border Patrol veteran Art Del Cueto, who now serves as a border security adviser at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, appeared on "The Count" to weigh in on the federal enforcement surge unfolding across North Carolina.
His comments came as local authorities in the Charlotte region reported a slowdown in arrests, even as Homeland Security insisted operations would continue.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said the action would not ease. "The operation is not over, and it is not ending anytime soon," she said.
The push forms part of President Donald Trump’s broader national strategy that has placed federal immigration agents in Democratic led cities from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Del Cueto argued the North Carolina focus reflects economic realities he says he has witnessed during his repeated visits. When asked whether the administration was targeting the state or simply enforcing existing statutes, he pointed to labor dynamics he believes drive resistance to deportations.
"The reason these people don't want a lot of these individuals deported, especially in North Carolina, and again, I tell you, because I go there often, it's because they like hiring that cheaper labor. They don't want that cheap labor to leave North Carolina. They want to continue to hire them."
Del Cueto added that some businesses prefer workers without legal status because it allows them to avoid complying with payroll regulations.
"They have no desire to actually give them some type of status in the country, because they know once they get status, they might look at other jobs. A lot of these individuals, they want to keep those people illegally in the country, especially in those areas, so they can give them those jobs that they can pay them under the table. They can save a lot of money."
He also criticized the recent protests that emerged during the operation.
"And when you start looking at these protesters, and this is what just irks me, especially from someone that's a legal immigrant. And I came here legally along with my family. If you don't want to go to Mexico and you want to stay and embrace America, why are you protesting all the while waving the flag of the country that you don't want to go to?"
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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