RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The presence of Customs and Border Patrol agents in the Triangle on Tuesday created a ripple effect across the region, prompting families to keep children home from school and leading several businesses to close for the day out of caution.
“I think that more than anything else, they’re afraid,” said Anabel Rosa, a lawyer who volunteers with the nonprofit El Centro Hispano.
Videos shared online showed agents in Raleigh asking people, “Are you a US citizen? Are you a US citizen?” Rosa said operations like these reach far beyond the locations where agents are present.
“People are staying home and they’re unfortunately keeping their kids home, which is sad,” she said.
Several businesses across the Triangle chose not to open on Wednesday. Some shops along Chatham Street in Cary were shuttered, and others in downtown Raleigh, like El Toro Loco Taqueria, posted online that they were closing for the safety of the Latino community.
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The restaurant’s post stated that their staff wanted customers to “feel safe, supported and protected during this time.”
Durham Public Schools reported several hundred more absences on Wednesday compared to last week.
The Wake County Public School System has not released numbers yet, but families keeping their children home was the main topic discussed in public comment during Tuesday night’s WCPSS board meeting.
“Families are keeping children home today, and likely the rest of this week, because they’re afraid,” one speaker said.
Another added, “fear-based absences reflect trauma, not neglect.”
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A third speaker emphasized the potential toll on learning: “fear destroys the conditions required for student achievement, focus, memory, emotional regulation, and a sense of safety.”
One mother whose daughter attends a language immersion program said the concern extends to educators as well.
“The teachers who pour love and stability into my child daily are living with fear and instability. They’re here legally, yet they still worry about immigration rules shifting with the possibility of deportation. When teachers feel unsafe, our students feel it too,” she said.
Even with the concerns from some, Rosa said she saw an outpouring of support from community members checking in with El Centro Hispano and offering help, everything from driving children to school to providing legal assistance.
“Most of the reaction from most everyone I’ve seen is that they are here in support of the community, that they see no difference between them and the immigrant community,” she said. “That gives me hope more than anything else.”
Though CBP agents are not expected to remain in the region, many who stayed home Tuesday said they plan to remain cautious for the rest of the week.
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