Border Patrol is in the Triangle. Is it causing Wake students to stay home?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Reports of Border Patrol operations in Raleigh could drive mass student absences.
- Wake schools cite guidance limiting federal entry but instruct staff to allow agents.
- Educators and unions demand local bans on Border Patrol use of public property.
Student absences could be sharply up Tuesday in Wake County schools amid reports of Border Patrol agents beginning operations in the Raleigh area.
Attendance has dropped in other school districts that saw increased operations by federal immigration agents. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is unofficially reporting that 30,399 students were absent on Monday — 21% of its enrollment.
On Tuesday, the Wake County school system sent a message to families telling them “we affirm our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment where all children can learn and thrive.”
“Our primary mission is, and always will be, to provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for every single child, regardless of immigration status,” Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor said in the message. “We want all staff and families to feel secure in knowing that we are dedicated to protecting the privacy and rights of all our students, and we are legally required to enroll and educate all children residing within our boundaries.”
If 21% of Wake’s 162,000 students stay home, that would mean around 34,000 students are absent from class.
Anecdotal reports are coming in that attendance is down at several Wake schools. The district has not yet released attendance figures for Tuesday.
“Teachers are ready to work with families to make sure learning can continue,” Wake’s note said. “If your child is absent, their teacher can provide classwork or learning activities that can be completed from home. Staying in communication helps us ensure students don’t fall behind and continue to feel part of their classroom community.”
NCAE says keep Border Patrol off school campuses
The North Carolina Association of Educators and its Wake County chapter issued a joint statement Tuesday urging local governments to try to keep federal agents from using public property.
“To keep our schools safe, we are calling on local governments to immediately enact protections that explicitly prohibit Border Patrol and ICE from operating or staging on public property — especially on school campuses,” the joint NCAE and Wake NCAE statement said. “Both the emotional safety of children and the integrity of our classroom learning environments must be protected.
NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly and Wake NCAE President Christina Cole accused the Trump administration of trying to instill fear in North Carolina schools, neighborhoods and communities.
“The Trump Administration is intentionally stoking racial fear to push a billionaire-backed political agenda,” Walker Kelly and Cole said. “Fear is being used as a tool to fracture working-class communities — to pit Black, Brown and white families against one another.
“In Wake County, we refuse to let that strategy succeed. We are committed to building a multiracial working-class coalition that stands united to protect public school families and defend our community. When we stand together across race and background, fear loses its power.”
Fear in the community
Even among families who sent their children to school Tuesday, fear was evident.
Moms rushed out of apartments to get their children when two school buses stopped in the Southgate neighborhood in Southeast Raleigh at about 4:30 pm.
In a nearby neighborhood, a maintenance worker walked some children to their apartment because parents were afraid to come outside. Border Patrol agents had to the neighborhood an hour earlier.
Wake’s immigration guidance
The Wake County school system sent guidance to principals earlier this year after the Trump administration rescinded prior guidance that said schools are off limits to federal immigration enforcement operations.
ICE agents can bring an administrative warrant or a federal judicial warrant. Only a federal judicial warrant grants ICE agents the right to entry in the school, according to Wake County’s guidance to principals.
Unless the ICE agent has a federal judicial warrant, Wake told principals the district reserves the right to deny access to staff, students or school system property for lack of “necessity” absent a legal right of entry or exigent circumstances indicating a threat to public safety.
But Wake also told principals to let the ICE agents on campus if they insist on entering.
“Building leaders have been reminded of the procedures that law enforcement agencies must follow when interacting with students on campus,” Wake said in his message to families Tuesday. “If law enforcement seeks access to a school, we will consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws.”
Wake reminded families that the district doesn’t ask families about their immigration status. Wake also pointed to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that says students are entitled to attend schools regardless of their immigration status.
“We will continue to honor all laws protecting the privacy of student records as outlined in board policies,” Wake said. “We encourage families to contact their school’s student services team (school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist) if their child has concerns or social-emotional needs during this time.”
Photo editor Scott Sharpe contributed.
This story was originally published November 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
