The women filed administrative claims, not a completed federal lawsuit. The claims begin the process required before they may sue the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Two Charlotte women are seeking more than $2.5 million from the federal government after immigration agents arrested them during a widely publicized enforcement operation in North Carolina.
Tatyana Reisini and Kristen Roos allege that agents boxed them in their SUV, pointed weapons at them, broke the vehicle’s windows, and detained them for several hours on November 17, 2025. Federal officials have offered a sharply different account of the encounter.
The women filed administrative damages claims in July 2026. No court has determined whether the agents acted unlawfully, and a civil lawsuit may follow only after the federal claims process is completed.
The encounter happened during a major operation
The arrests occurred during Operation Charlotte’s Web, a federal immigration enforcement campaign launched in the Charlotte area on November 15, 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security said the operation targeted people who were unlawfully present in the country, including individuals with criminal records. Federal officials reported more than 425 immigration-related arrests as the operation continued.
The surge brought heavily armed federal agents into neighborhoods and commercial areas. It also prompted protests, school absences, business closures, and widespread concern among immigrant families.
The women say agents followed them
According to the claims filed by their attorneys, Reisini and Roos were observing and documenting immigration activity while communicating with concerned neighbors.
They allege that federal agents followed their SUV and later blocked it on a dead-end street. The filing says an agent pointed a rifle at the driver and used the weapon to break a window, scattering glass inside the vehicle.
The women were removed from the SUV, restrained with plastic ties, and taken to a federal facility. They say they remained in custody for approximately 4 hours.
These details represent the women’s allegations and have not yet been tested through a federal trial.
Federal officials dispute their account
The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that agents faced a dangerous situation involving a vehicle that had been following them.
Officials reportedly alleged that the SUV was driven aggressively, violated traffic rules, and failed to follow agents’ commands. DHS said officers used only the force necessary to control the situation.
The women deny that they threatened the agents or used the vehicle as a weapon. Video of the encounter shows agents surrounding the SUV and breaking a window. Still, a court may need additional footage, witness testimony, agency records, and other evidence to determine what happened before the recorded moments.
Criminal charges were dismissed
Reisini and Roos received federal citations accusing them of assaulting a federal officer.
They were released after their detention, but the criminal allegations remained pending for several months. The U.S. Attorney’s Office later voluntarily dismissed the charges roughly 3½ months after the arrests.
A voluntary dismissal does not automatically prove that the original arrest was unlawful. It does, however, remove the criminal case that had placed both women at risk of prosecution.
Their attorneys say the women experienced financial losses, emotional distress, fear of prosecution, and property damage while the charges remained unresolved.
The claims seek more than $2.5 million
The women are seeking a combined amount exceeding $2.5 million from federal agencies connected to the operation.
Their filings include allegations of assault, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and damage to personal property. They also argue that agents interfered with their ability to observe and record government activity in public.
The requested damages are not an award. Federal agencies may reject the claims, negotiate a settlement, or allow the administrative review period to expire without resolving them.
A lawsuit has not yet been filed
The claims were submitted under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which provides a limited process for seeking compensation when federal employees allegedly cause harm in the course of their duties.
Claimants normally must first allow the responsible agency to investigate. The government generally has 6 months to respond before the claimant can proceed to federal court based on an unresolved claim.
If a lawsuit is eventually filed, the government could challenge the allegations, the amount of damages, and whether particular claims are legally permitted. Constitutional allegations may also involve legal rules distinct from those governing ordinary negligence or personal-injury claims under the act.
The case reflects wider legal disputes
The Charlotte claims are separate from a class-action lawsuit filed by 5 other people challenging warrantless immigration arrests across North Carolina.
That lawsuit includes U.S. citizens, a naturalized citizen, and a visa holder who allege that federal agents detained people without the probable cause required by immigration law. Federal agencies and senior immigration officials are named as defendants.
Together, the cases could force courts to examine how immigration agents establish reasonable suspicion, when they may stop vehicles, and what force is permissible during enforcement operations.
For now, the allegations involving Reisini and Roos remain at the administrative stage. Any determination of fault or compensation will depend on the federal ggovernment’sresponse and possible future litigation.
TL;DR
- Two Charlotte women are seeking more than $2.5 million from the federal government.
- The November 17, 2025, encounter occurred during Operation Charlotte’s Web.
- The women allege that agents boxed in their SUV, pointed weapons, and broke its windows.
- DHS disputes their version and says agents responded to dangerous driving and ignored commands.
- Both women were detained for about 4 hours and charged with assaulting a federal officer.
- Prosecutors voluntarily dismissed those criminal charges several months later.
- The women filed administrative claims, and no civil lawsuit over their encounter had been filed yet.
