ICE Raids and SNAP Cuts Starve North Carolina Kids While Trump Boasts Victory

Last November, federal agents in tactical gear swept through Charlotte and beyond, arresting hundreds in what Border Patrol called “Operation Charlotte Web.” The goal was clear: weaponize fear to force immigrant families into “self deportation.” The reality? Over 30,000 students missed school, many losing access to free or reduced-price meals that are often their only reliable source of food.

Lili Jaramillo, Family Support Director at the Charlotte nonprofit ourBRIDGE for Kids, recalls the chilling scene: children running to school alone while their parents stayed hidden, terrified of being snatched by ICE. The raids devastated immigrant communities, forcing parents to pull kids from school and leaving families scrambling for food and basic necessities.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Trump’s administration slashed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and imposed harsh new work requirements, claiming to have “lifted” millions off food stamps. But these cuts hit immigrant and low-income families hardest, deepening hunger and hardship. In North Carolina alone, over 1.4 million people rely on SNAP, including 580,000 children.

ourBRIDGE for Kids has seen a surge in food requests—delivering groceries to families who lost jobs or had breadwinners detained by ICE. Their after-school program, which once provided over 41,000 meals annually, now struggles to keep up with soaring demand.

Meanwhile, Trump praises these tactics as a model for future deportation campaigns, ignoring the human wreckage left behind. These policies punish children for the administration’s political theater, turning school bus stops into sites of fear and empty plates.

This is not a success story. It is a brutal assault on immigrant families and children, exposing the cruelty behind the administration’s “law and order” facade. We will keep tracking the fallout and holding power accountable for these attacks on our communities.