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This story was originally published by Enlace Latino NC on July 23, 2025. Find the original story here.
Given the possibility that ICE agents may carry out raids on school grounds, CMS school leaders have been preparing their staff to deal with possible arrests of parents, students, and even employees.
Recently, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Board of Education issued a statement explaining why Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may be in school lobbies or parking lots.
The Board’s explanation came after it became known that CMS had created a virtual seminar aimed at school principals as a resource so they know what to do and what steps to take if immigration agents arrive at any of the schools.
The Board said the webinar, distributed to district staff on Thursday, July 10, is not “mandatory” for school principals to take, but was provided as an “optional resource for use as needed.”
ICE agents may be in lobbies and parking lots
During the seminar, school officials were instructed that ICE agents may be present in the school lobby or parking lot, but cannot go beyond that, meaning entering classrooms or private areas.
“As explained in the webinar, immigration officers and law enforcement officers must present valid credentials and a properly executed warrant or subpoena to remain on school property (including public areas such as parking lots, lobbies, and waiting areas) to access any specific person or record,” the School Board’s Office of Communications notes.
It also said that “law enforcement agencies, including ICE, cannot wait indiscriminately to speak with a student, parent, or staff member in public areas.”
Different types of documents and court orders
In the webinar accessed by Enlace Latino NC, which is also available in video and an English document, the Board explained the different types of orders and court summonses and those related to immigration.
“The webinar encourages directors to seek guidance from the OGC to determine the validity and scope of any documents presented by law enforcement, including ICE,” the Board says.
The webinar also notes that “(school) directors are not expected to have the expertise to interpret any legal document. Directors are not required to ‘give permission’ or provide access unless the agents have a valid document. This is not a new process.”
A call to ICE to use ‘common sense’
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he rescinded a 2021 guidance designating schools as “protected areas” that limited immigration enforcement action on school campuses.
Although CMS assured that immigration officials have not yet appeared on CMS property, the Board’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) presented this topic at the Summer Leadership Conference to school leaders in June 2025 and also created the webinar.
Weeks before this conference, ICE agents conducted a massive operation in the Charlotte area that began on May 12 and resulted in numerous arrests of undocumented immigrants, some near schools and churches.
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