A North Carolina woman is accused of hitting a police officer with her car — but she was released on a $3,000 bail just hours after her arrest.
Tanaezah Michelle Austin, 25, is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon against a government official in connection with a street takeover early Sunday morning in northwest Charlotte, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/driver-accused-attempting-mow-down-cop-during-street-takeover-strolls-free-hours-later-3k-bond">reported</a>.
Officers responded to reports of cars doing donuts in a commercial parking lot at 3:25 a.m. on March 1, according to the outlet. One officer approached a black Kia Optima that was trying to leave. The driver stopped at first, but “began to accelerate rapidly” and struck the officer, who rolled over the hood.
The officer was in full uniform, giving verbal commands to stop and standing where the driver could clearly see him, Fox News said. He was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Video of the incident posted to X shows the officer in front of the car before it accelerates toward him and drives away. The X post incorrectly identifies the driver as a man.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Horrifying video footage has emerged from Charlotte NC of a man attempting to RUN OVER A POLICE OFFICER WITH HIS GUN DRAWN, trying to avoid arrest.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CHARLOTTE?!!!!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/MQFt9gKKJQ">pic.twitter.com/MQFt9gKKJQ</a>
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattvanswol/status/2028602510425075753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Austin was arrested March 2 and released early on March 3, with a probable cause hearing scheduled for March 24.
“These are among the worst of the worst incidents that we have to deal with in Charlotte,” Dan Redford, president of the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/charlotte-raleigh-piedmont">Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police</a>, told Fox News. “To see a $3,000 bond for an offender, regardless of whether she has a criminal history or not, when the intent to flee was clearly there, is pathetic.”
The $3,000 bond means Austin may have needed to pay just $300 to be released, Randy Sutton, a retired police lieutenant, told the outlet. Sutton founded The Wounded Blue, a nonprofit that supports injured and disabled law enforcement officers.
“When I hear about someone being released on a $3,000 bond for running over a police officer on video, it boggles my mind,” Sutton said. “She ran over a cop, and she walked out.”
Sutton said the incident wasn’t an accident.
“She saw him, he was communicating with her, and then she just gunned the car toward him,” Sutton said. “This could have been a fatal encounter.”
Austin faced misdemeanor marijuana and paraphernalia charges in 2025, but they were later dropped, Fox News reported.
U.S. Rep. Mark Harris criticized the bond decision.
“Running over a police officer is of the highest level of evil,” Harris said in a statement, according to Fox News. “It’s also a complete slap in the face for our brave law enforcement to see these kinds of criminals allowed right back on the streets. When is Charlotte going to end the crime cycle? When are magistrates going to keep bad guys behind bars? Enough is enough!”
The case comes as cities across the U.S. are seeing a rise in violent criminals being released with low or no bond.
Charlotte made headlines last year with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, whose alleged killer had been arrested and released 14 times, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-is-the-outrage-trump-rails-against-media-dem-crime-policies-after-brutal-train-murder?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Where+Is+The+Outrage%3F%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Rails+Against+Media%2C+Dem+Crime+Policies+After+Brutal+Train+Murder">reported</a> at the time.
In Chicago, Illinois, a 50-year-old man, who had been arrested 72 times since he was 18, allegedly set a woman on fire in the subway in November. He had most recently been arrested three months earlier, when he was charged with aggravated battery, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-set-ablaze-chicago-transit-train-identified-rcna245669">reported</a>.
In a more recent incident in Brooklyn, a man was arrested after allegedly stalking and attacking an Orthodox Jewish family. He was freed on supervised release, despite being charged with assault and multiple counts of harassment as a hate crime and the district attorney’s request for a $50,000 cash bail, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-frees-accused-antisemitic-assailant-who-threatened-to-kill-brooklyn-family">reported</a> at the time.

Tanaezah Michelle Austin

‘Enough Is Enough’: Suspect Accused Of Hitting Cop With Car Walks Free On $3K Bond

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Dumbest Democrat Ever Delivers Cringe Worthy Performance In Front Of State Assembly

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The Charlotte City Council is being slammed for approving $3.4 million to hire a PR company to clean up the reputation of their public transportation after a string of recent stabbings.
The city’s latest action comes after two widely-publicized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fatal-charlotte-stabbing-highlights-the-failure-of-racial-equity-policies?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Megan+Basham&amp;category=News+and+Analysis&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Fatal+Charlotte+Stabbing+Highlights+The+Failure+Of+Racial+Equity+Policies">stabbings</a>, including one that ended fatally on Charlotte’s train system and sparked a national conversation on rising crime and lax prosecution in urban areas of the country. On Tuesday, Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris called out the “pro-crime Democrats in Charlotte” for spending the cash on “misleading ads” rather than choosing to “invest in REAL safety to prevent another tragedy like Iryna Zarutska&#8217;s brutal murder.”
“No amount of marketing will cause us to forget Iryna,” Harris <a href="https://x.com/RepMarkHarrisNC/status/1998455022409879676">wrote</a>.
Local radio host Nick Craig <a href="https://x.com/nicholasmcraig/status/1998354129018568908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> out local leaders on X Tuesday for using the funds “on ads telling you everything is fine” rather than “fixing safety.”
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Pro-crime Democrats in Charlotte are doing everything they possibly can EXCEPT FOR ACTUALLY ADDRESSING CRIME. <a href="https://t.co/azb5FlLHoQ">https://t.co/azb5FlLHoQ</a>
— Rep. Mark Harris (@RepMarkHarrisNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMarkHarrisNC/status/1998450963124990235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
Honduran illegal immigrant Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia allegedly stabbed a man using a “large fixed-blade knife” on a Charlotte train Friday, <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article313445137.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Charlotte Observer.
Solorzano-Garcia was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/twice-deported-illegal-immigrant-accused-in-another-charlotte-train-stabbing?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Twice-Deported+Illegal+Immigrant+Accused+In+Another+Charlotte+Train+Stabbing">deported</a> on two separate occasions before the attack and had a lengthy rap sheet for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, resisting arrest, using a false ID, along with convictions for robbery and illegal re-entry.
It came just four months after the unprovoked murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, in Charlotte by a man with at least 14 prior arrests for offenses such as armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
Decarlos Brown Jr. served five years for the robbery, but got off on time served, probation, or community service in most of his other cases.
He allegedly stabbed Zarutska repeatedly in the neck as she was commuting from her job at a local pizzeria.
The Trump administration responded to Charlotte’s crime surge and sanctuary policies by deploying federal immigration agents to carry out what they dubbed “Operation Charlotte&#8217;s Web,” which resulted in hundreds of arrests of illegal immigrants.

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Charlotte City Council Slammed For Shelling Out Millions On PR Following Train Stabbings

Charlotte City Council Faces Backlash For Shelling Out $3M On Train PR Following String Of Stabbings

A twice-deported illegal immigrant with a rap sheet allegedly brutally stabbed a man on a Charlotte, North Carolina, train.
Honduran illegal immigrant Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia is accused of stabbing a man with a “large fixed-blade knife&#8221; on a light rail train Friday, leaving him in critical condition, <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article313445137.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Charlotte Observer.
He was first deported from the United States on March 9, 2018, before he crossed the border illegally again and was removed in 2021, <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/12/06/ice-lodges-detainer-criminal-illegal-alien-charged-attempted-murder-after-stabbing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Homeland Security.
Solorzano-Garcia snuck back in undetected for a third time on an unknown date.
He was previously arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, resisting arrest, using a false ID, and has convictions for robbery and illegal re-entry.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it a &#8220;heinous&#8221; attack, saying that her agency has taken action to ensure he faces justice.
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&#8220;ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia is not released back into North Carolina neighborhoods,&#8221; Noem said. &#8220;Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the county will honor the detainer since they have a history of not cooperating with ICE.&#8221;
“Under President Trump, ICE is being unleashed to ensure public safety for all Americans. Make no mistake: We will not rest until every depraved criminal illegal alien is removed from our communities,&#8221; Noem said.
Both President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented on the incident:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨An illegal immigrant who was previously deported is now accused of attempted murder for stabbing a man on the Charlotte Light Rail this week🚨
This is just MONTHS AFTER the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> is right… ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We need justice NOW! <a href="https://t.co/rnQBer1W3L">pic.twitter.com/rnQBer1W3L</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1997463065613500595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The latest stabbing comes just four months after the unprovoked murder of Ukrainian refugee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-asks-supreme-court-to-hear-birthright-citizenship-case?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Asks+Supreme+Court+To+Hear+Birthright+Citizenship+Case">Iryna Zarutska</a>, 23, in Charlotte.
Decarlos Brown Jr. allegedly stabbed Zarutska repeatedly in the neck as she was commuting from her job at a local pizza joint.
Last month, the Trump administration deployed federal immigration agents to Charlotte, leading to hundreds of arrests of illegal immigrants in response to local sanctuary policies.

Twice-Deported Illegal Immigrant Accused In Another Charlotte Train Stabbing

Deportations

illegal immigrant

Illegal Immigration

A mother is speaking out after learning that the alleged sex offender who preyed upon her 13-year-old daughter was an illegal immigrant set free by local authorities who chose not to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trump administration recently brought the case to light after launching mass deportation raids in Charlotte. While exposing local authorities for setting illegal immigrants free, the Department of Homeland Security highlighted the case of Costa Rican illegal immigrant Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez, 29, as one out of roughly 1,400 cases in Charlotte where local cops refused to honor federal immigration detainers.
&#8220;It&#8217;s hurtful that my child is a victim and they had this person and let him go,&#8221; the victim&#8217;s mother, Misha Rose, whose own father was deported from the United States after committing a crime, told WSOC.
&#8220;This is serious &#8230; we need justice, he needs to go,&#8221; she said as she fought back tears.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez was released after North Carolina authorities failed to honor the ICE detainer.
Castillo-Chavez, a criminal illegal alien from Costa Rica, was arrested for indecent liberties with child, first degree sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted… <a href="https://t.co/mVl6VSw73W">pic.twitter.com/mVl6VSw73W</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1991870683702247783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pineville police charged Castillo-Chavez in March with indecent liberties and other sex offenses after he allegedly began messaging the young victim online. But he later bonded out of custody.
&#8220;There was this message from this guy, and I was like, &#8216;Who is this?&#8217; and she was like, &#8216;Oh, that&#8217;s my friend, I just met him online.&#8217; And I looked at the messages, there were photos, there were messages that indicated he was like coming to pick her up, and I immediately just like dropped, like I fainted, like this is not happening right now,&#8221; Rose recalled.
The Department of Homeland Security said local authorities failed to honor their detainer request to hand over the illegal immigrant if he was to be released.
The Mecklenburg County sheriff&#8217;s office, however, claims that ICE made a request for advanced notice of Castillo-Chavez&#8217;s release, but never issued a formal detainer, according to WSOC. The sheriff&#8217;s office said they never notified federal immigration agents because there was no legal requirement in place.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its deployment of Border Patrol agents to Charlotte to clean up the mess created by sanctuary policies. The feds have already made over 200 arrests since the operation began over the weekend.
&#8220;Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said recently of the operation.
“There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t,&#8221; she said.
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Mom Speaks Out After Charlotte Authorities Release Illegal Immigrant Who Preyed Upon Her Daughter

Mom Speaks Out After Authorities In Charlotte Let Go Predator Who Preyed Upon Her Daughter

Sanctuary Cities

Trump and Russia are reportedly near a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, the administration is looking to overhaul SNAP, and Charlotte’s ICE presence is clearing roads and classrooms.
It’s Thursday, November 20, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ukraine-deal-emerges-snap-system-shakeup-11-20-25-member-exclusive">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukraine-deal-emerges-snap-system-shakeup-11-20-25/id1576594336?i=1000737568672" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Peace In Ukraine At Last?</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is crafting a plan to end the war in Ukraine. According to a new report, officials are in talks to get both sides on board with a 28-point framework.
While few details of a potential deal have been made public, administration officials seem confident about it. <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/11/19/a-peace-deal-as-soon-as-this-week-00658623">Politico</a> quoted one official as saying, “What we are going to present is reasonable.”
The plan reportedly emerged from extensive talks between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The two ambassadors met in Miami last month and spent three days together on what a potential deal could look like.
According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/ukraine-peace-plan-trump-russia-witkoff">Axios</a>, Dmitriev came out of that meeting feeling like “the Russian position is really being heard.” He went on to describe the negotiations as &#8220;a much broader framework” that seeks to bring “lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine.”
What’s not so clear is how far talks have moved forward with Ukraine, or with European officials who may be interested in any potential peace deal–especially one that may involve security guarantees the Europeans have to provide for Ukraine.
The White House seems to think that Kiev and Europe will eventually accept the deal, though, as long as “flexibility” is shown, as one White House official put it.
When? Some reports suggest a deal could be on the table as soon as the end of this week. That might sound fast, but we have seen a lot of movement lately.
According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/top-army-officials-set-for-drone-focused-visit-to-ukraine-00658328" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other senior U.S. military officials traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who then traveled to Turkey to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about restarting peace talks with Russia.
Zelensky didn’t talk more of any deal in the works, though, and it’s worth noting that there have been times in the past when Zelensky hasn’t had trouble dissenting from the White House. His buy-in is necessary before a peace plan can move forward.
According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/trump-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-donbas">Axios</a>, part of the Trump administration’s plan includes asking Ukraine to trade some land for security guarantees–including some land that Russia does not currently control. That alone could be a sticking point for Ukraine.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">SNAP Waste, Fraud, And Abuse</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003177" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has announced a complete overhaul of the food stamp program, promising to rein in fraud and abuse.
Rollins is changing a number of things, but most notably, her department is requiring current food stamp recipients to reapply for benefits. Currently, about 43 million people are in the SNAP program, about 12% of the population, and it costs taxpayers about $100 billion annually.
The department’s logic is that reapplying will reduce fraud and abuse, ensuring that benefits go to Americans who really need assistance.
Rollins said Americans know SNAP is “extremely corrupt” by the many anecdotal stories of fraud and waste. Videos have circulated on social media of people admitting to selling their benefits, or grabbing eye-popping grocery hauls for people who don’t seem very needy.
But, but, but: Without hard data, it’s impossible to know how much abuse is going on and where. Rollins has asked every state to share SNAP data to track down the fraud, but only 29 states, mostly Republican-led, have complied. 
“The number is closer to 186,000 deceased men and women who are receiving a check,” Rollins <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDLcYeSKxw">said</a>, based on the data the department has compiled so far. “500,000 people getting two times the benefits, individuals getting benefits in 4, 5, 6 different states – and those are just the red states.”
Rollins has said her department is suing to get SNAP data from remaining states, such as New York and California, and suggested the fraud and abuse will be even worse there.
SNAP to illegals? Despite the dearth of data on SNAP benefits, some evidence exists that points to illegal aliens receiving SNAP benefits.
A 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation, <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/article/major-study-finds-illegal-immigrants-collecting-taxpayerfunded-snap-benefits">analyzed</a> by The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), shows that, even though SNAP is restricted to applicants with legal status, potentially up to 4.5 million illegals are using SNAP. This is especially alarming since illegals are already permitted to use WIC, which is another welfare food program that’s a little more restrictive. 
CIS also found that 47% of all noncitizen households receive taxpayer-funded food assistance. And generally, about 60<a href="https://cis.org/Report/Welfare-Use-Immigrants-and-USBorn?utm_source=chatgpt.com">% of illegal immigrant households</a> use at least one major welfare program. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Charlotte Empties After ICE Raids</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003175" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration’s immigration sweeps in Charlotte, North Carolina, have left schools with minimal attendance and roads free of traffic.
Charlotte is a place that doesn’t seem like a traditional hotbed for illegal immigration, but immigration raids are starting to expose it as one. What we&#8217;ve seen so far is that school attendance is down. Around 30,000 students did not show up to class in Charlotte Public Schools on Monday after the sweep started over the weekend.
Immigration raids have yielded about 200 arrests and put fear into other industries around the city. Traffic is down altogether, and some construction sites have been completely abandoned.
Why Charlotte: The raids have revealed the city to be a major hotspot for illegal immigrants.
Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security, more broadly, saw Charlotte as a sanctuary after the sheriff of Mecklenburg County ended its partnership with ICE in 2018. The sheriff said that he would no longer allow ICE to come into his jails to take in illegal immigrant criminals that were set to be released, effectively adopting a sanctuary policy similar to places such as New York City and Chicago, where ICE and Border Patrol have already been active.
With Charlotte, federal officials say that there were 1,400 illegal immigrants sitting in jails in the city that local authorities were refusing to hand over to ICE. Officials trying to clean up the mess have effectively said, ‘If you&#8217;re not going to help us, we&#8217;re going to take matters into our own hands.’ And that&#8217;s what has happened.
The commander of Border Patrol, Gregory Bovino, has said that the sweeps are yielding more collateral arrests. In other words, illegal immigrants who are with the violent illegal immigrant offenders that federal officials are targeting are being arrested alongside those violent aliens. 
According to Bovino, those aliens wrapped up in collateral arrests actually have more serious criminal histories than officials have seen in other cities where raids are happening.

11.20.25 MW

Morning Brief: Ukraine Deal Emerges, Food Stamps Fraud, & ICE Raids Spark Exodus In Charlotte

Morning Brief: Will Ukraine See Peace, Crackdown On SNAP, And Charlotte Empties Over ICE

Donald Trump

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Media

Morning Wire

Politics

Russia

SNAP

Ukraine

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

The Department of Homeland Security issued an unusually sharp and highly public rebuke of U.S. Senate candidate and former North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper after he criticized federal immigration enforcement operations in Charlotte. Cooper wrote on social media that while he supports using federal resources to deport violent offenders, he opposes “randomly sweeping up people based on what they look like,” warning that such tactics could leave dangerous criminals at large while harming families and the economy.
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<a href="https://t.co/QCQ6jhr5Ls">pic.twitter.com/QCQ6jhr5Ls</a>
&mdash; Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyCooperNC/status/1990442383125725505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DHS immediately fired back, using its official X account to highlight the case of Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez, a Costa Rican national whom North Carolina authorities had previously declined to transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS described Castillo-Chavez as a “criminal illegal alien” with a record that includes indecent liberties with a child, first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and solicitation of a child via computer. The agency’s message to Cooper was pointed: “North Carolina refused to hand him over to ICE.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RoyCooperNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoyCooperNC</a>, meet Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez.
Castillo-Chavez is a criminal illegal alien from Costa Rica. His criminal history includes indecent liberties with child, first degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and solicitation of a child by a computer.
North Carolina… <a href="https://t.co/7spksrfTLq">https://t.co/7spksrfTLq</a> <a href="https://t.co/FFzyhgzhTm">pic.twitter.com/FFzyhgzhTm</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1990593361833566299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Homeland Security broadened its criticism, arguing that Charlotte has become a hub for human trafficking and that “sanctuary politicians” in the state have enabled violent offenders to roam free. DHS asserted that terrorist groups and gangs exploit the region’s geography and highway networks, implicitly linking Cooper’s policies to increased vulnerability for residents.
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Charlotte, North Carolina has become a hub for human trafficking. Terrorist organizations and gangs have taken advantage of the city&#39;s highway system and geographic location to exploit their victims.
Americans should be able to live without fear of these violent criminals, but… <a href="https://t.co/r4thCUUQvx">pic.twitter.com/r4thCUUQvx</a>
&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1990859501172314168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Top DHS officials amplified the response. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Cooper of refusing to turn over more than 1,400 violent criminal non-citizens to ICE during his governorship and rejected his claim of racial profiling as “absurd and devoid of fact.” She argued that releasing such offenders inevitably leads to further victimization.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Firstly, <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyCooperNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoyCooperNC</a> refused to turn over 1,400 violent criminal illegal aliens to ICE. 
On his watch, when these public safety threats and predators are released back onto Charlotte’s streets they will reoffend &amp; create more victims. 
Second, illegal immigration is a crime… <a href="https://t.co/qmObq2By5X">https://t.co/qmObq2By5X</a>
&mdash; Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1990580018133577751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, overseeing the enforcement surge known as Operation Charlotte’s Web, defended the operation’s focus on repeat offenders — robbers, assailants, and impaired drivers — insisting that local and state leaders should partner with DHS rather than criticize it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kristi Noem discusses Operation Charlotte&#39;s Web, the latest immigration enforcement operation by DHS in Charlotte, NC:
&quot;We&#39;re going after people who committed robberies, assaults, DUI&#39;s, getting them off the streets, keeping people safe. That is exactly what the leadership in… <a href="https://t.co/hf9cS2rwy6">pic.twitter.com/hf9cS2rwy6</a>
&mdash; Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jules31415/status/1990804395986944143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DHS also announced that the sweep had already led to more than 130 arrests in its first two days, including 44 individuals with serious criminal histories. The agency framed its approach as a necessary corrective to what it characterized as years of non-cooperation from state officials.
“As governor, Cooper allowed [the] release of 3,500 inmates early to settle litigation with the NAACP,” The Center Square <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_cfcd1bfd-9a8c-4405-a3fa-73a515b0dd33.html">noted</a>. “He also vetoed legislation in 2019, 2022 and 2024 that would require local law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
The DHS pushback drew support from North Carolina Republicans, who accused Cooper of <a href="https://x.com/RepMarkHarrisNC/status/1990866287996682495">misleading the public</a> about the immigration enforcement effort.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper

‘Sanctuary Politician’ Roy Cooper Gets DHS Smackdown Over Operation Charlotte’s Web

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration

Roy Cooper

Federal immigration authorities have descended upon their next target for mass deportation raids: Charlotte, North Carolina, a city the Trump administration says has been operating as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.
While Charlotte isn&#8217;t a well-known sanctuary like New York or Los Angeles, the Trump administration laments that its leaders have failed to hand over hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals to ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security said there&#8217;s roughly 1,400 illegal immigrant criminals sitting in Charlotte&#8217;s jails that local authorities are refusing to turn over to federal authorities.
&#8220;North Carolina sanctuary politicians are protecting the nearly 1,400 criminal illegal aliens in Charlotte’s jails by REFUSING to turn them over to ICE, ultimately releasing these monsters into North Carolina’s neighborhoods,&#8221; DHS <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1990528939551248465?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X Monday.
In March, ICE arrested six illegal immigrant criminals who had been released by the Mecklenburg Sheriff&#8217;s Office, which ignored federal detainers, <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-law-enforcement-partners-arrest-24-illegal-criminal-alien-offenders-during" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the agency.
After the operation, there were still 18 other targets &#8220;at large who also had detainers that were not honored,&#8221; ICE said at the time, adding that they&#8217;ve &#8220;been unable to locate those individuals, and they remain at large and pose a potential danger to the community.&#8221;
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden cut a partnership with ICE in 2018 that allowed federal agents to enter the jails and take illegal immigrant inmates into custody. Since then, he&#8217;s required ICE to provide warrants signed by a judge in order to take in detainees set to be released, according to the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/3365394/democratic-sheriff-garry-mcfadden-points-at-ice-over-immigration-enforcement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Examiner</a>.
McFadden defended that he&#8217;s “cooperating” with the law by not honoring detainer requests without judicial warrants, he told the news outlet.
Meanwhile, ICE accused McFadden of adopting a &#8220;selective approach&#8221; that&#8217;s putting public safety at risk.
“While the Sheriff asserts an understanding of what a detainer is and is not, the reality is that declining to cooperate with ICE undermines public safety,” ICE spokesman Lindsay Williams told the Washington Examiner.
“By refusing to notify ICE prior to the release of these individuals, the Sheriff knowingly allows potentially dangerous individuals to evade federal immigration enforcement and to be released back into the community,&#8221; Williams added.
The Trump administration deployed Border Patrol agents to Charlotte over the weekend as part of an operation dubbed &#8220;Charlotte&#8217;s Web,&#8221; which has already yielded more than 130 arrests of illegal immigrants with criminal records ranging from aggravated assault to felony larceny, according to DHS.
Protesters have responded by organizing demonstrations to push federal agents out of the city.
North Carolina Democrat Governor Josh Stein condemned the federal operation in a video statement.
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling, and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks,” Stein said.
Some locals have also cowered in the presence of the feds.
Roughly 27,000 students were absent from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Monday, which was nearly three times the number of absences from one week earlier, <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article312964185.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Charlotte Observer.
Some local businesses have also shut their doors, fearing that their customers or employees will be targets of the raids.
“I’m not going to risk my customers,” Manolo&#8217;s Bakery owner Manolo Betancur <a href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/manolos-bakery-charlotte-closes-border-patrol-concerns/275-86cdb1a6-1338-428a-b599-a06460bcef7d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> WCNC of his decision to close his business. “Safety is more important than any money, any profits or any economic system.”

Untitled design – 2025-11-18T140220.672

Here’s Why The Feds Are Targeting Charlotte With Immigration Raids

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents descended upon Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend, arresting more than 130 illegal immigrants with criminal records ranging from aggravated assault to felony larceny, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The arrests were part of the Trump administration&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/11/15/dhs-launches-operation-charlottes-web-target-criminal-illegal-aliens-terrorizing">Charlotte&#8217;s Web</a>&#8221; operation, which began on Saturday and aims to find and detain illegal immigrants who have found sanctuary in the Democrat-run city. The Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire, &#8220;Border Patrol arrested over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken the immigration laws of our country.&#8221;
&#8220;Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit and run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation, a felony,&#8221; a DHS spokesman said. &#8220;We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country.&#8221;
Across North Carolina, authorities have ignored nearly 1,400 immigration detainers and released violent illegal immigrants back onto the streets, according to the DHS.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory K. Bovino posted photos of suspected illegal immigrants who have been taken &#8220;off the streets&#8221; of Charlotte over the weekend.
&#8220;Who&#8217;s at the same grocery store as you? This illegal alien from Honduras with a criminal history,&#8221; Bovino wrote in one post. &#8220;He has arrests for aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon &amp; DUI. He has also been removed from the U.S. twice, so now that he&#8217;s here AGAIN, he committed a felony by re-entering the U.S.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Who&#8217;s at the same grocery store as you? This illegal alien from Honduras with a criminal history. He has arrests for aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon &amp; DUI. He has also been removed from the U.S. twice, so now that he&#8217;s here AGAIN, he committed a felony by… <a href="https://t.co/Kx8BI4NJFi">pic.twitter.com/Kx8BI4NJFi</a>
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1990073456403046786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This illegal alien from Mexico has 3 DUI/DWI convictions. We arrested him, taking him off the streets of Charlotte so he can&#8217;t continue to ignore our laws and drive intoxicated on the same roads you and your loved ones are on,&#8221; Bovino added in another post.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This illegal alien from Mexico has 3 DUI/DWI convictions. We arrested him, taking him off the streets of Charlotte so he can&#8217;t continue to ignore our laws and drive intoxicated on the same roads you and your loved ones are on.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DHS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DHS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USBP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USBP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHARLOTTESWEB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHARLOTTESWEB</a> <a href="https://t.co/4dv9HbbTVm">pic.twitter.com/4dv9HbbTVm</a>
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1990091580632424581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DHS said that one law enforcement officer was injured during an operation over the weekend, when a U.S. citizen &#8220;weaponized his vehicle, driving a large van at law enforcement while they were conducting an operation.&#8221; The driver allegedly fled the scene, prompting a high-speed chase. The suspect, who has previous arrests for resisting law enforcement, public disturbance, and intoxication, was eventually taken into custody.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER INJURED DURING ENFORCEMENT OPERATION.
This afternoon in Charlotte near University City, a United States citizen weaponized his vehicle, driving a large van at law enforcement while they were conducting an operation. He immediately fled the scene, starting… <a href="https://t.co/Iu2fm1p6Lh">pic.twitter.com/Iu2fm1p6Lh</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1990249095911350330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As Border Patrol began arresting suspected illegal immigrants in Charlotte, residents took to the streets to protest, demanding that the federal agents leave the city. Hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday, carrying signs that read &#8220;Immigrants Make Charlotte Great,&#8221; &#8220;Kidnapping Immigrants Won&#8217;t Make America Great,&#8221; and &#8220;Charlotte Demands ICE and Border Patrol Out Of Our City!&#8221;
North Carolina Democratic Governor Josh Stein blasted the federal operation in a video statement.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling, and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks,&#8221; Stein said.
<div id="attachment_1001499" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1001499" class="wp-image-1001499 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2246351107-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2246351107-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2246351107-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2246351107-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2246351107.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Grant Baldwin/Getty Images</div>
Charlotte is the latest big city targeted by President Donald Trump, who is surging federal law enforcement and immigration agents to cities across the country to address illegal immigration and violent crime. Charlotte gained national attention earlier this year when Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed to death while riding the city&#8217;s light rail train. Decarlos Brown Jr., an American citizen, was charged with Zarutska&#8217;s murder after he had previously been arrested 14 times.
Federal agents have also arrested hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants and violent criminals in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Memphis, and Portland.

Border Patrol

‘Operation Charlotte’s Web’ Nets 130+ ‘Criminal Illegal Alien’ Arrests In First Weekend

Trump Administration

The Trump administration has set its sights on Charlotte for its next round of immigration sweeps, The Daily Wire has learned.
Federal law enforcement sources said some Border Patrol agents already in Chicago for the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Midway Blitz” raids may be heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, as early as this week.
Border Patrol chief for California’s El Centro sector, Gregory Bovino, will also head to Charlotte, sources said. He will later go on to New Orleans, according to <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/border-patrol-gregory-bovino-charlotte-new-orleans/">NewsNation</a>.
Last month, Bovino <a href="https://x.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1978287901411533094">posted on X</a>, “We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!” in response to a request that the feds deploy there.
On Wednesday, Bovino wrote, “Crime way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crime way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem&#8217;s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/midwayblitz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#midwayblitz</a> <a href="https://t.co/T8Awye13fx">https://t.co/T8Awye13fx</a>
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMDROpAtLargeCA/status/1988581623005323631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
DHS didn’t confirm or deny the plans in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The Trump administration deployed more than 200 border agents to the Windy City last month to help speed up their nationwide mass deportation effort, according to CBS News.
And sanctuary leaders were quick to condemn the deployment.
“The people of Chicago have deserved better than having CBP and Greg Bovino in this city,” Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“We’ll have to continue to protect our neighbors and our friends and our families, and I will work very hard to continue to do that to keep people safe,” he added.
Tensions have remained high in Chicago, with anti-ICE agitators trying to block agents from making arrests and cartels placing hefty bounties on the heads of the feds.

Untitled design – 2025-11-12T101102.719

Border Agents Head To Charlotte After Illegal Immigration Sweep In Chicago

Border Agents Heading To Charlotte Following Chicago Deployment

Chicago

illegal immigrants

Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) demanded Wednesday that North Carolina Democratic Governor Josh Stein deploy the National Guard to Charlotte after a spate of high-profile murders in the city. 
Harris, alongside Republican Reps. Pat Harrigan and Chuck Edwards, asked Stein in a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/11.05.25_Letter-to-Gov.-Stein-re-National-Guard.pdf">letter</a> obtained by The Daily Wire to grant the request of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police to send in the National Guard to Charlotte. 
“Until our judicial system ensures criminals are held accountable, there is a compelling case to deter violence through a visible, stabilizing presence such as the National Guard,” the lawmakers wrote. “While calling upon the National Guard is not a long-term solution to Charlotte’s law enforcement staffing challenges, it is an emergency measure designed to stabilize a crisis situation and protect innocent lives.”
The letter said that Charlotte had a streak of 8 murders in 7 days, and the city’s downtown area had seen a 200% increase in its murder rate from this time last year. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police said assaults involving knives and guns increased from 86 in 2024 to 111 in 2025, while strong-arm robberies have increased from 26 to 32 in the same time. 
“Governor Stein is deaf to the desperate pleas of Charlotte&#8217;s police and residents,” Harris said. “He refuses reinforcements to crush the violent crime surge—exposing him and his party as pro-crime Democrats who coddle criminals while ignoring victims. That&#8217;s why my colleagues and I are fighting for millions of North Carolinians, demanding we reclaim the Queen City. Governor Stein: Stop stalling—send in the Guard now.&#8221;
The lawmakers also discussed the case of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-reps-move-to-oust-judge-who-freed-14-time-offender-before-brutal-train-murder?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=GOP+Reps+Move+To+Oust+Judge+Who+Freed+14-Time+Offender+Before+Brutal+Train+Murder">Decarlos Brown Jr.</a>, who was charged with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, after he had previously been arrested 14 times. They also referenced the recent release of a 15-year-old who has been arrested over 100 times over the last two years and is still walking freely on the streets. 
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police continues to stand by our request for federal assistance,” said  Daniel Redford, the president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police. “What is most concerning is that city leaders, many of whom have served multiple terms, have failed to foresee these police shortages and build the ranks of CMPD at a time when attrition was manageable. The officers of CMPD are now tasked with the burden of their failures and they grow more and more exhausted as each day passes.”
Other cities, like Washington, D.C., and Memphis, have seen decreases in crime after the deployment of National Guard troops.

Kamala Harris Campaigns In North Carolina

Pressure Mounts For Dem Governor To Call In National Guard After Spate Of High-Profile Murders

Dem Governor Pushed To Call In National Guard Amid High-Profile Murders

Josh Stein

National Guard

Violent Crime

By all accounts — including his own — 36-year-old roofer Joe Gonzales was an evil human being who deserved to die. In 1992, in the state of Texas, Gonzales murdered a 50-year-old building contractor who supposedly owed him $200. Gonzales robbed the man and attempted to make his death look like a suicide. But it wasn&#8217;t a very convincing defense, because people who kill themselves normally don&#8217;t rob themselves after they do it. At trial, Gonzales told the jury, “I am a man who has no regard for the law. I am a man who has no regard for humanity.&#8221;
Within just twelve minutes, in November of 1995, the jury <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/19/us/on-death-row-10-months-man-is-executed.html">convicted</a> Gonzales and recommended the death penalty.
If you had to guess how long it took Joe Gonzales to actually be put to death, what would you say? What&#8217;s the approximate timeframe for how long you think Joe Gonzales sat on death row, before he was finally executed?
Maybe you&#8217;re thinking this is a trick question, and that the answer is: He was never actually executed, he&#8217;s still on death row, appealing the jury&#8217;s decision, to this day. That&#8217;s normally how death penalty cases go. We all know that. But in this case, surprisingly enough, Joe Gonzales was indeed put to death. And he was put to death very quickly, relatively speaking. Just ten months after the jury recommended the death penalty, in September of 1996, Joe Gonzales was executed by lethal injection. It was the fastest execution in U.S. history since Gary Gilmore was executed in Utah in 1977 by firing squad, just three months after he was convicted of two murders.
The reason both of these men were executed so quickly is that, unlike most death penalty defendants, they weren&#8217;t interested in dragging the process out. They didn&#8217;t have any interest in appealing their sentences. So they allowed the government to proceed with the executions, without undue delay. And the government obliged. Left to their own devices, without any frivolous appeals, states like Texas and Utah were able to dispense justice in a reasonable timeframe.
This is not ancient history. We&#8217;re not talking about executions in colonial New England, or anything like that. In modern America, it&#8217;s entirely possible to put violent criminals to death, promptly. One of the key steps we need to take, as these cases demonstrate, is to get rid of the idea that death penalty defendants are entitled to an automatic appeal. These appeals can take decades to resolve. They&#8217;re almost always unnecessary.
But ever since the 1970s, because of a Supreme Court decision, these appeals have been mandatory (unless the defendant waives them). As a result of this decision by the Supreme Court, the average time that inmates spend on death row has ballooned.
<div id="attachment_989217" style="width: 799px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-989217" class="wp-image-989217 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row-789x576.jpg" alt="Source: Death Penalty Information Center" width="789" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row-789x576.jpg 789w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row-768x560.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row-1360x994.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Chart-Death-Row.jpg 1362w" sizes=" (max-width: 789px) 100vw, 789px" />Source: Death Penalty Information Center</div>
In the 1980s, as you can see here, the average time spent on death row was around 74 months. Now it&#8217;s over 260.
So it didn&#8217;t take long, after the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in 1976, for everything to slow down. They introduced mandatory appeals, and now inmates are spending three times as long on death row.
<div id="attachment_989223" style="width: 779px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-989223" class="wp-image-989223 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Death-Penalty-age-769x576.jpg" alt="Source: Death Penalty Information Center" width="769" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Death-Penalty-age-769x576.jpg 769w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Death-Penalty-age-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Death-Penalty-age-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Death-Penalty-age.jpg 1370w" sizes=" (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" />Source: Death Penalty Information Center</div>
Along the same lines, as you&#8217;d expect, there&#8217;s also been a dramatic change in the average age of a defendant who&#8217;s executed on death row. In 1975, the average age was 36. In 1980, the average age was 24.
By 2005, the average age was up to 44. Now it&#8217;s over 50. In fact, more than 570 prisoners on death row are over the age of 60, as of 2019. Back in 1996, that number was just 39.
Some elderly prisoners — like Vernon Madison in Alabama — are spending so much time on death row that they&#8217;re developing dementia and having strokes, which makes them ineligible for the death penalty because they&#8217;re supposedly &#8220;incompetent to be executed.&#8221; Yes, that&#8217;s an actual category of inmate. You might argue that competence is kind of irrelevant for the death penalty. You don’t need to be competent. You don’t need to do anything but die. But this is the system we have now. Even if you were competent to stand trial, it&#8217;s possible for you to lose your mind on death row. And then you go back to general population, as a confused vegetable, while the victim&#8217;s family wonders when they&#8217;re going to get the justice they were promised. This is supposedly the &#8220;humane&#8221; solution, according to the Supreme Court. We need an absurd amount of appeals and bureaucratic wrangling, lasting years and years, before we can actually execute anyone.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1677-have-you-forgotten-about-iryna-zarutska-they-want-you-to-here-s-why"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-976065 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Keep in mind, the Supreme Court made this decision in an era before advanced DNA evidence, modern ballistics techniques, or widespread video surveillance. The general sentiment, at the time, was that innocent people might be convicted and sent to death row. So therefore, because evidence wasn&#8217;t robust, we supposedly needed mandatory appeals, to make sure that innocent people weren&#8217;t executed.
But that&#8217;s not the case any more.
Most death penalty cases are similar to the murder of Iryna Zarutska.
It’s an important case, even amid all of the other things happening in the country. And we cannot forget what happened to her.
That’s why I want to give a brief update on the case and tell you what’s going on with it now. The answer, as we’ll see, is that nothing is going on. There is no update. No movement at all. And that’s the point.
Now, of course, there is no doubt whatsoever as to who is responsible for Iryna&#8217;s death. The killer in this case has more than a dozen prior arrests. He committed the crime on camera, as we all remember. In a just society, the man responsible — Decarlos Brown Jr. — would be given a speedy trial, under our Constitution, and then put to death.
That&#8217;s true even if you buy his defense, which is that he was &#8220;mentally ill&#8221; in some way. But really, the defense is nonsense. This is a surveillance photo from the light rail, a second or so after he stabbed and mortally wounded Iryna. It&#8217;s the photo you&#8217;ve probably seen many times before.
<div id="attachment_989213" style="width: 585px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-989213" class="size-large wp-image-989213" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2-575x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Surveillance video, Charlotte Area Transit System" width="575" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2-575x576.jpg 575w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2-768x769.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Char2.jpg 1070w" sizes=" (max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px" />Screenshot: Surveillance video, Charlotte Area Transit System</div>
It&#8217;s obvious that Decarlos Brown went out of his way to target a defenseless woman who wasn&#8217;t even looking at him. He sat in wait for his victim. After he killed her, he said something along the lines of, &#8220;I got that white girl.&#8221; And then, as this surveillance footage from the train station, which was just released, demonstrates, he changed his clothing.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Watch: Video shows Iryna Zarutska’s accused killer being arrested at Charlotte light rail station" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcCtpUL9hrs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Credit: WBTV News/Charlotte/YouTube.com
This is the footage of the arrest of Decarlos Brown. The officers swarm him pretty quickly. But as you can see, he&#8217;s not wearing the red clothing anymore. He&#8217;s carrying his sweatshirt. So it looks a lot like he understood that he had just killed someone, and wanted to avoid detection.
Whether he &#8220;heard voices&#8221; or not, or whether he has &#8220;impulse control issues&#8221; or not, it doesn&#8217;t matter. Someone who decides to murder an innocent woman, for any reason, forfeits his right to live. And that&#8217;s clearly what happened here.
But because our death penalty system is a bureaucratic morass, Decarlos Brown will not be executed anytime soon.
This is the latest reporting from a <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2025/10/15/hearing-determine-if-north-carolina-will-pursue-death-penalty-alleged-light-rail-killer-delayed/">local news station</a> in North Carolina. Here’s what’s happening with his case right now.
<blockquote>The man accused of killing a Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte light rail almost two months ago was scheduled to have a crucial court hearing on Thursday. Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska back in late August, was scheduled to have a Rule 24 court hearing on Thursday, Oct. 16. A Rule 24 hearing is for the state to determine whether or not they would pursue the death penalty. Court documents said that the hearing has now been pushed back until April 2026. The decision to delay the hearing came from Brown and his attorney, Daniel Roberts. However, the reason for the delay was redacted, according to court documents.</blockquote>
So there&#8217;s going to be a &#8220;hearing&#8221; to &#8220;determine whether or not&#8221; the state will &#8220;pursue the death penalty&#8221; — as if there&#8217;s any doubt that they should. Decarlos Brown should&#8217;ve been put down somewhere after his 10th conviction. And he certainly should be executed now. But this hearing won&#8217;t take place until April of next year.
Of course, the best part of all is that you don&#8217;t even get to know why the hearing was delayed. You get no information whatsoever. All you can be sure of, at this point, is that the trial isn&#8217;t going to take place for a very long time — if it occurs at all. Even in a case where the defendant&#8217;s guilt is obvious to everyone in the entire country, we&#8217;re told to put up with endless delays, for no reason.
These delays are downstream from that Supreme Court decision in the 1970s. And that Supreme Court decision was downstream of the belief — which is false — that innocent defendants are sent to death row all the time. That wasn&#8217;t true in the 1970s. And it&#8217;s certainly not true anymore. We don&#8217;t need a neurotic number of hearings and appeals to determine the fate of animals like Decarlos Brown. The evidence is overwhelming. And it&#8217;s overwhelming in every other death row case, as well.
So why haven&#8217;t any states attempted to bypass this Supreme Court decision, with lawsuits or new legislation? Why haven&#8217;t we seen legal challenges to this absurd framework that essentially renders the death penalty moot? Why don&#8217;t states say, actually, we don&#8217;t need mandatory appeals anymore, or endless hearings. We can just hold a trial, present the overwhelming evidence, and then get on with the execution. There&#8217;s certainly no constitutional basis for making the death penalty effectively impossible to enforce. On the contrary, the Founders approved of the death penalty — explicitly, in many cases. So why don&#8217;t we see any legal challenges on this point?
The only explanation that makes sense is that — in the case of Decarlos Brown, and every other case like his — the people in charge of the state government want us to forget what happened. They want the outrage to subside, which it usually does. And then they can get away with giving as lenient a sentence as possible. That&#8217;s what the mayor of Charlotte clearly wants. Remember, she put out a statement saying we should feel sympathy for people like Decarlos Brown, and attacked anyone who shared the footage of Iryna&#8217;s murder. She doesn&#8217;t want Decarlos Brown to be executed. If she can arrange it, she wants him out on the streets, as soon as possible, so he can terrorize more innocent women.
And it&#8217;s not crazy to think the mayor of Charlotte might accomplish that goal. Just a week ago, we covered the case of a convicted child killer who managed to get out of prison in less than a decade. Fortunately, in the case of Decarlos Brown, there are federal charges as well — and those charges are also death-eligible. But that prosecution — and any potential conviction — could be undone by a future Democrat administration. And at this point, particularly if Decarlos Brown isn&#8217;t executed, that outcome seems like a distinct possibility. But it shouldn&#8217;t be possible. The right to a speedy trial doesn&#8217;t just apply for the benefit of the defendant. It also applies for the benefit of society at large. We have a constitutional right to see violent criminals punished, swiftly, to the fullest extent of the law.
Every once in a while, over the past month or so, I&#8217;ve come across a post on X with that picture of Iryna, along with a message like &#8220;We haven&#8217;t forgotten you,&#8221; or something along those lines. I hope that&#8217;s true. But as months turn into years, inevitably, people will become distracted. There will be more violence and chaos and tragedy — Democrats will make sure of that. And it will be easy, despite our best efforts, to forget what happened to Iryna. That&#8217;s what they want us to do. That was the whole point of the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in the 1970s, and all the state laws that followed. Now&#8217;s the time for those laws to change. And it&#8217;s time for Iryna Zarutska&#8217;s killer to receive a fair trial, and then a speedy execution in a matter of weeks, if not days — which is, admittedly, a far more dignified death than he deserves. But under our Constitution and our common law tradition on the death penalty, which has been ignored since the 1970s, it&#8217;s the fate that Decarlos Brown should receive.
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Have You Forgotten About Iryna Zarutska? They Want You To. Here’s Why. 

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