Martha White, granddaughter of beloved children’s author E.B. White, has sharply condemned federal immigration authorities for co-opting the title of “Charlotte’s Web” for their latest crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Department of Homeland Security dubbed its enforcement operation “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” a move that White argues fundamentally contradicts the values of kindness, inclusion, and due process her grandfather championed in his classic 1952 novel.
Criticism of Federal Operation’s Name and Tactics
In a statement to CNN, White—who serves as her grandfather’s literary executor—drew a stark contrast between the beloved story and the enforcement tactics employed by Border Patrol agents. “He certainly didn’t believe in masked men, in unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs or summons,” White said. “He didn’t condone fearmongering.” She emphasized that E.B. White “believed in the rule of law and due process,” values she says are being violated by the current operation.
Operation Details and Community Impact
Border Patrol agents arrested 81 people in Charlotte on Saturday during a five-hour enforcement surge, according to senior official Gregory Bovino, who has led similar operations in Chicago and Los Angeles. The crackdown has sparked widespread fear in the community, with multiple businesses—including a Colombian bakery that had remained open for 28 years—temporarily shuttering. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein criticized the operation, stating that “masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars” were “targeting American citizens based on their skin color”.
Pattern of Controversial Operation Names
This marks the second time the Trump administration has faced backlash for naming an immigration operation after a personal story without full family consent. In Chicago, Denise Lorence spoke out after realizing her late daughter Katie Abraham’s name was being used for “Operation Midway Blitz,” writing that her daughter “would not want to be associated with the immigration crackdown.” White echoed similar concerns, stating it’s crucial to “speak up” and “expose the lies or misconceptions” when public figures attempt to appropriate beloved cultural works for controversial political purposes.