What happened?
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived in Charlotte over the weekend. Public school leaders said they do not believe agents will conduct immigration enforcement in schools, but the presence of federal law enforcement has already disrupted some afterschool programming.
Border Patrol, the federal law enforcement agency leading the operation is under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
“The priority mission of the Border Patrol is preventing terrorists and terrorists weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United States,” according to the CBP website.
The Department of Homeland Security also houses ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which enforces federal immigration laws.
Unlike prior immigration enforcement actions in other cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, the actions in Charlotte are led by Border Patrol without ICE coordination.
How does the presence of federal agents affect schools and day cares?
In other cities where ICE and Border Patrol conducted operations, some parents and students feared leaving their homes to take their children to and from school.
In Chicago, federal agents dragged a day care staff member out of the building and detained her, prompting public outcry against immigration enforcement tactics. ICE has denied targeting schools or day cares.
School attendance especially declined in areas of Chicago with large immigrant populations, according to Block Club Chicago.
Parents and other volunteers mobilized to help transport students to school and to provide other services, such as grocery delivery. Watch groups organized to alert neighborhoods to the presence of immigration officials during school drop-off hours.
What happened in Charlotte?
On Wednesday, before the Border Patrol operation launched in Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders issued a statement reiterating a commitment to the safety of all students.
Of the 141,000 students in the CMS school system, those who identify as Black make up the largest percentage with 34% of the population. Thirty-one percent of students identify as Hispanic and 24% identify as white.
On Sunday, the district issued another statement to answer questions about the Border Patrol operations near schools.
“There has been no immigration enforcement activity on CMS property, and we have not received any notice that such actions are planned,” the school system said.
The Charlotte Observer reported that the school system “has not clarified whether it will notify families of ICE or U.S. Border Patrol activity near its campuses.”
The district said if there is an emergency situation, local K-12 officials would consider moving students and teachers to remote instruction.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg school officials said they don’t keep records about a student or family’s immigration or citizenship status as the district doesn’t collect that information during enrollment.
“We do not share student information unless required by law,” CMS officials said in a recent statement. “Immigration officials cannot access staff, students, or private areas without a valid warrant or subpoena.”
How are students in Charlotte affected?
There have not been confirmed arrests or immigration raids in or at schools in Charlotte, but immigration operations have disrupted attendance and some afterschool programming.
Approximately 15% of students enrolled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were absent on Monday, CMS Assistant Communications Officer Tom Miner told NC Local.
On Monday, Our Bridge for Kids, a nonprofit organization serving refugee and immigrant families, announced suspension of their on-site programming after “more than 20 CBP agents arrived at our East Site,” according to their social media post.
The post said agents arrived in trucks around 10 a.m. to the location off Shamrock Drive in east Charlotte, but no arrests were made. Comunidad Colectiva, part of the nonprofit Carolina Migrant Network, also confirmed the presence of immigration agents at the Shamrock location on Monday.
The site provides afterschool programming for about 150 students from several local schools including Eastway Middle, Merry Oaks Elementary, Winterfield Elementary, Windsor Park Elementary, Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School and Intellicor Islamic School, according to the organization’s website.
Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents detained a young man working at a grocery store in Pineville. His age became a point of dispute on social media after a video of the incident showing the young man being pinned down and detained by two agents in tactical gear went viral.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino posted on the social platform X that the individual was 18 years old. The store manager initially said the employee was 15 or 16 years old but later said employment records showed he was 20 years old.
A DHS spokesperson told NC Local more than 130 people were detained over the weekend but declined to answer questions about the identities or locations of anyone detained in Charlotte.
What actions are parents and volunteers in Charlotte taking?
Advocacy organizations in the Charlotte area have organized community patrols to watch schools for any suspected immigration enforcement activity and alert others.
Siembra, a grassroots advocacy group, hosted four trainings across Charlotte for hundreds of community members on Monday night. At one of the training sessions at Dilworth United Methodist Church attendees learned how to react to detainment and deescalate situations, MSNBC reported.
Education Justice Alliance, a nonprofit group in North Carolina, suggests that families create a safety plan in case of an arrest, detention or deportation. The plan should include conversations about who a child should contact if the parent is detained or unreachable, the organization suggests. The group also offers a guide with specific information for families, school staff and others.
Communities are also coming together to address immigrant family needs if some family members are not leaving their homes. Our Bridge for Kids is conducting a food drive to provide grocery delivery to immigrant families. “Right now many in our community will lose work/income while they make the difficult decision to stay home to protect their family,” the organization posted on Instagram.
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