Homeland Security just took credit for fixing Charlotte traffic. Yes, really. | Opinion
The Trump administration’s lack of seriousness was on full display Wednesday in a social media post from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that seemingly took credit for fixing Charlotte traffic.
An X user posted a Google Maps image Tuesday that appeared to show lighter traffic in the Charlotte area, presumably during the morning commute. The official DHS account reshared the post with the comment, “You’re welcome.”
The implication of the post seems to be that undocumented immigrants are major contributors to traffic and road congestion in Charlotte, and it’s now magically cleared up thanks to the Border Patrol’s recent immigration enforcement operation, which officials say has resulted in 250 arrests so far. And an official government account is not only repeating it, but bragging about it.
“This is just a startling reminder of how many illegal aliens are hiding in every nook and cranny of this country,” Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren wrote in reply to the DHS post.
Really? Suggesting that traffic in the state’s largest city — the 15th largest city in the country — is caused by immigrants is ridiculous. Recent data from the Migration Policy Institute estimates there are about 100,000 unauthorized immigrants living in Mecklenburg County — a fraction of the county’s population of 1.2 million. It seems hardly likely that 8% of the county’s population is the reason for a busy rush hour when Charlotte alone has more than 500,000 workers, or that 300 arrests would somehow have an impact on congestion. (We asked Charlotte DOT about the supposed traffic changes, but they declined to comment.)
It’s a fundamentally unserious assertion from an administration that has made social media trolling a major communications strategy. Their most life-altering policies become fodder for jokes and memes blasted from official government platforms.
But it’s also yet another example of government officials justifying the mass deportation scheme with fearmongering and false narratives. They want you to think U.S. cities have been invaded by immigrants who derail the daily lives of ordinary Americans. They use them as a scapegoat for everything: crime, traffic, housing prices, unemployment, gun violence. That’s not the case. And even if it were, what the Border Patrol is doing in Charlotte right now will do very little to change it.
Paige Masten is a deputy opinion editor for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy’s North Carolina Opinion team.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Homeland Security just took credit for fixing Charlotte traffic. Yes, really. | Opinion."
