Border Patrol has left Charlotte and plans to mobilize in New Orleans next

Border Patrol agents arrested more than 250 people in Charlotte this week and, according to reports, could begin operations in Louisiana and Mississippi as soon as next week.

Border Patrol has ended its immigration enforcement operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, nearly a week after the agency first deployed agents to the state’s most populated city, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News Thursday.

According to an official at the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol has been in contact with state and local officials in Louisiana as it plans to mobilize to New Orleans for its next operation.

A senior DHS official tells NBC News the Border Patrol agents deployed to New Orleans will not begin operations until after the Thanksgiving holiday, though prep work may begin ahead of time.

The Associated Press reported this week that Customs and Border Protection would begin a new operation targeting Louisiana and Mississippi, with troops preparing there as soon as Friday for an operation to begin on Dec. 1, according to documents obtained by the AP and three people familiar with the operation. The goal is to arrest 5,000 people who are in the country illegally in the coming weeks in a move the agency has dubbed “Swamp Sweep,” according to the AP.

Two DHS officials who spoke with NBC News said it is unclear when Border Patrol will wind down the operation the agency kicked off in Charlotte on Saturday. One official said that the start date for the operation in New Orleans is unknown but that it could begin any day.