With the return to classes next week and the daily arrests being made by immigration authorities in the Charlotte area, there is great concern among immigrant families that raids will be carried out on school grounds.
Students will return to classes on Tuesday, August 25, and this week Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (CMS) officials held a press conference to announce that the district is ready in all its facilities to receive more than 140,000 students.
Enlace Latino NC He asked if there were any changes to the immigration protocol established by the district in 2025.
“Last year we used a protocol that we believe was effective and we will continue to use it this year as well,” Dr. Melissa Balknight, CMS deputy superintendent, told us.
An old protocol was updated
In August 2025, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (CMS) added a new immigration section to its old protocol adopted in 2009 titled: “Relations with Law Enforcement Agencies”.
This section deals with the enforcement of immigration law, following intense scrutiny from community leaders regarding its handling of the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents near school campuses and churches during a operation carried out in May of that year.
Enlace Latino NC He had access to the PDF instruction manual presented at the seminar where the directors were told about the different types of court orders and summonses that exist, including those related to immigration.
The protocol, updated on August 1, 2025, in Section IV of O-ELX/R, details CMS procedures for responding to ICE operations, which since the beginning of the current administration are permitted in areas previously considered sensitive such as schools, churches, and hospitals.
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Principals were instructed on ICE raids on school campuses
Before the return to classes last year, the district's school principals participated on a voluntary basis. in an online seminar to instruct them on the protocol so that they would be clear on what to do if ICE agents raided school grounds.
The seminar informed them that ICE agents can enter school reception areas, waiting rooms, and parking lots to speak with or arrest a student, parent, or staff member, in accordance with current Trump administration guidelines.
According to the protocol, immigration agents will not be allowed to enter private areas such as hallways and classrooms unless they have a valid arrest warrant signed only by a judge or permission from the school administration.
“If ICE says they have an arrest warrant or a court summons, the school should first verify the agents’ credentials and request a copy. The principal or another school administrator should contact the Office of the General Council (OGC), and then we will verify the document. ICE should remain in a public area while the school waits for a response from the OGC,” the instructions state.
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