Public schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, saw a spike in absences on the first weekday of the Trump administration’s immigration operation in the city, and educators remain concerned about the consequences the continued federal presence will have for students.
More than 20,000 students — nearly 15% of all those enrolled in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school district — were absent from class Monday amid an enforcement push by immigration agents in the city, according to unofficial attendance data shared by a representative for the district. The district did not comment on how that compares to the average daily absence rate, but public data suggests that last year it was around 9%.
“Operation Charlotte’s Web” is one of a series of federal immigration raids that Customs and Border Patrol have attempted in major, Democratic-led cities this year. More than 100 people have been arrested in the city since the weekend.
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly claimed that those arrested are “violent criminals” and the “worst of the worst,” even as the government’s own data suggests individuals with criminal records represent only a fraction of thousands who have been detained across the country this year.
“These poor kids are at school wondering, not about if they can read the text, if they can understand the math problem. They’re wondering, ‘Are my parents OK at home? Is someone going to be there at the bus stop to pick me up?’” Allie Kaul, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school teacher, told MS NOW.
“They’re kids that just want to talk about Pokémon and ‘K Pop Demon Hunters.’ They want to talk about the Halloween candy that they brought for lunch. They want to talk about what the read-aloud book is. You know, they want to just be children, and we’re robbing them of that. We are robbing them of the opportunity to just be innocent.” Tom Miner, a spokesperson for the district, assured parents in a video shared Sunday that it “does not ask about immigration or citizenship status during enrollment or share student information unless required by law,” adding that immigration officials “cannot access staff, students, or private areas without a valid warrant or subpoena.” The CBP operation has been met with fierce backlash from local and state officials, including Gov. Josh Stein, who addressed federal agents in a statement Monday, saying, “Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin, as you are doing in Charlotte.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Alex Tabet is a reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
