Over 30,000 students absent in Charlotte as ICE operations ramp up

The absences coincide with "Operation Charlotte's Web," a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiative launched over the weekend that had already resulted in over 200 detentions across the region. According to WBTV, federal agents made a "record-breaking" 81 arrests on Saturday, with more than 130 illegal immigrants arrested in the first two days of the operation.

School families pleaded with the district to move classes online during increased ICE activity, but the request was denied during a Tuesday school board meeting, WCNC reported. The impact has been primarily acute in schools with large Latino enrollments. 31 percent of CMS's 140,000-plus students identify as Hispanic, according to district data.

One teacher at an east Charlotte elementary school reported only four out of 16 students attending his class, attributing the drop-off to parents keeping children home out of deportation fears. Similar stories emerged from multiple schools, where absentee rates hit 65 percent in some buildings.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, "Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit-and-run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation—a felony."

District officials said that there has been no immigration enforcement activity on school campuses.