CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools returned to class Monday after Border Patrol agents descended on the region for a weekend of arrests, with no clear sign about when the activity might end.

Agents wearing green and brown uniforms with masks covering their faces spread out across Charlotte and area towns, raising fear in the region’s immigrant community. Across social media, parents expressed concern about sending their children to school.

But the district posted a message on its social media accounts Sunday night that “schools will operate on a normal in-person schedule.” There hasn’t been Border Patrol activity on CMS property and the district hasn’t received any notice “that such actions are planned.” It attracted comments and criticism from parents — some of whom noted that school campuses weren’t the locations they worried most about.

One parent wrote in response that Border Patrol agents were in a grocery parking lot across the street from her child’s school over the weekend. Border Patrol doesn’t schedule appointments, wrote another who promised not to send their child to school “if anything looks questionable.” Multiple people mentioned school bus stops could be a location where immigration officials make arrests.

During morning drop-off and afternoon pickup, long lines of cars were absent. And some parents gathered on roadsides to serve as a lookout for federal agents.

On campus Monday morning

Monday morning brought a flow of cars at Albemarle Road elementary and middle schools in east Charlotte. A crossing guard at the end of the road greeted every student by name.

It was quiet outside Starmount Academy of Excellence near South Boulevard, except for some light chatter from adults working the drop-off line. A couple cars passed through every minute, but no long lines of traffic and no Border Patrol activity. And it was similarly quiet at Berryhill School west of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

That story repeated itself across CMS schools, including Hidden Valley and Charlotte East Language Academy. A staff member at the entrance of CELA held a sign that said “Inmigrantes, estamos con ustedes” or “immigrants we are with you” as she welcomed kids to school. She said it was “drastically less busy” today than usual.

Adam McBroom, a parent of a child at Charlotte East Language Academy, watched the intersection leading to the school for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during morning drop-off. He wore a highlighter yellow vest and a black whistle.

McBroom said he’s one of a group of parents volunteering to watch the area around the school for any suspected immigration enforcement activity. This is the first time parents organized a watch group, but McBroom said the effort was prompted in part by the arrest of a parent near the campus in May.

“We’re just trying to keep an envelope around the school so that we know if ICE agents come,” McBroom told The Charlotte Observer. “We’re just here to observe and make sure everybody is informed and safe.”

Despite CMS assurances, McBroom said there’s still fear Border Patrol agents might come to the district’s campuses.

“(Agents) coming to the campus is the nightmare scenario, and you never know what’s going to happen with the people in charge right now. I personally still worry about that,” he said. “But, the more likely thing is what we’ve already experienced and what we’ve seen that they’re willing to do, which is to absolutely make life fearful for everyone around.”

Afternoon pick-up

Laura Blum and Patricia Hoke stood outside Shamrock Gardens Elementary School in east Charlotte at pickup time Monday with a sign marked with a simple message: “NO ICE.”

Blum, Hoke and a few other parents met Sunday night to brainstorm how they could respond to the presence of Border Patrol agents in their community.

“It kind of started as a few of us just trying to figure out what we could actually do within our power,” Blum said.

She said the plan is to enlist parents to carpool kids and stand watch at pickup and drop-off, but connecting with which specific families might need help has been more difficult.

“I’ve had two teachers reach out to me and tell me that families reached out to them about this, so there are definitely people not coming to school because of this,” Blum said. “If we can make those connections, hopefully we can figure out a way to get them here safely, but right now, that’s the struggle.”

They didn’t see any Border Patrol activity at the school Monday, but Blum said someone was detained a few blocks away — close to her home.

In west Charlotte, Amalie Jahn was one of about 14 people standing out on Walkers Ferry Road making sure elementary school students arrived home safely. Jahn said neighbors began working with activists in other cities, including Chicago, to develop plans to walk kids home when the Trump administration started sending federal agents to speed up deportations.

“I’m here along with others to make sure families are safe and that they know they’re not alone,” Jahn said.

Kids were surprised by the crowd as they exited the bus. Others excitedly waved as the bus drove off.

“It’s abhorrent we have to do it, but the response has been incredible,” Jahn said.

Border Patrol expected to affect school attendance

While agents were active in Chicago, attendance in the city’s schools dropped by 1.25 percentage points — more than double the attendance drop during the first two months of the previous two school years, according to data from Chalkbeat.

Many are worried the same could happen here, advocates, parents and teachers previously told The Charlotte Observer. One CMS parent previously told the Observer families’ main fears aren’t about what happens inside the school walls, but instead about being harassed or detained on the way to school.

“We know that there are going to be many families that don’t send their kids to school for weeks or for days because of everything,” Daniela Andrade, communication lead for immigrant advocacy group Carolina Migrant Network, said. “We know for sure that this will dramatically change and impact Charlotte families, many of whom grew up here, have been here for years, contributed to the city, have created a big part of the city.”

CMS leadership has not clarified under what circumstances, if any, it will alert parents about immigration enforcement activities near one of its schools.

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(Reporters Jeff Chamer, Nick Sullivan and Nora O’Neill, photographer Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez and editors Zach Dennis and Josh Bergeron contributed reporting.)

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