U.S. citizen landscaper tackled without warrant, joins federal class-action lawsuit in North Carolina
Feb 28, 2026·Location: Charlotte, NC

Yoshi Cuenca Villamar, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen and landscaper from Charlotte, was tackled by immigration agents while working during warrantless enforcement operations across North Carolina in late 2025. Villamar is one of five plaintiffs—four U.S. citizens and a visa holder—who filed a federal class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on February 28, 2026, against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, CBP, and USBP. The lawsuit alleges the agencies conducted unlawful warrantless arrests without probable cause during and after Operation Charlotte's Web. ICE arrested 3,304 people in North Carolina between January and October 2025, more than 2.8 times the total during the same period in 2024. The lawsuit seeks to declare the warrantless arrest policy unlawful and block the agencies from continuing such arrests.
Timeline
Sources
- Immigration street sweeps led to more 'collateral' arrests of noncriminals - Stocktonia News
stocktonia.org·May 6, 2026·archived copy
- North Carolina residents claim feds arrested US citizens in immigration sweep
- eu.augustachronicle.com
- Five Individuals Launch Class Action Lawsuit Over Warrantless Immigration Arrests in North Carolina - ACLU of North Carolina
- North Carolina Immigration Lawsuit Seeks To Block Warrantless ICE Arrests
thencbeat.com·Feb 25, 2026·archived copy
- eu.courierpostonline.com
- CourtListener
- courthousenews.com
- casefilingsalert.com
- assets.aclu.org
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