Students at 2 Wake high schools walk out to protest Border Patrol operations
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Students at Rolesville and Heritage High staged walkouts to protest Border Patrol.
- Schools said protests were student-led, staff supervised safety, classes resumed.
- Wake County attendance fell sharply during Border Patrol operations; nearly 1 in 9 absent.
READ MORE
U.S. Border Patrol in the Triangle
The U.S. Border Patrol sent agents to Raleigh, Durham, Cary and other parts of the Triangle Nov. 18 and 19 after a surge of enforcement in Charlotte. Here’s ongoing reporting from The News & Observer.
Expand All
Students at two northern Wake County high schools held protests Thursday against this week’s Border Patrol operations in the Triangle.
Approximately 200 students participated in a protest during lunch on the lunch patio and practice field, according to a letter sent to families by Rolesville High School. The school said the protest lasted about an hour and the rest of the day continued without interruption.
Approximately 175 students walked out of Heritage High School in Wake Forest at 9:30 a.m. to protest on Forestville Road near the baseball field, according to a letter sent to families by Principal Jo Ellen Newhouse. The principal said the students returned to class by 10:15 a.m. and the rest of the day continued without disruption.
Heritage students held up signs saying things such as “Break ICE, Not Families” and “Crush ICE.”
“I’m proud of my girl,” Tea Bennett, the parent of a Heritage student who participated in the protest, said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Protests were initiated by students, not staff
In both cases, the schools said the protests were initiated by students and that staff didn’t organize or participate. But both schools said staff did supervise the protests to ensure student safety.
“As a school community, we recognize and respect students’ rights to express their views in peaceful and respectful ways,” both letters told parents. “Please feel free to contact our front office if you have any questions or concerns.”
A similar protest occurred Thursday in Durham when more than 200 Durham School of the Arts students gathered outside the school to say the ongoing immigration enforcement operations are a threat to education, The News & Observer reported. DSA students said a protest is planned for all Durham high schools at the Bull statue in downtown on Friday.
Attendance down in schools amid enforcement surge
Fears about the Border Patrol immigration surge have caused school attendance to drop this week in Charlotte and the Triangle.
On Tuesday, Wake County reported that 19,471 students were absent, meaning nearly 1 in 9 students stayed home. Wake saw 7,841 more absences than compared to a more normal day like Oct. 27.
At Heritage High School, 222 students were absent on Tuesday, meaning the school had an 88% attendance rate. In contrast, Heritage only had 123 students absent on Oct. 27 for a 93% attendance rate.
The attendance drop was more severe at Rolesville High, where 440 students were absent Tuesday. The school had an 83% attendance rate.
On Oct. 27, Rolesville High’s attendance was rate was 89% when 279 students were absent.
One Wake elementary school saw a 25% drop in attendance.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Students at 2 Wake high schools walk out to protest Border Patrol operations."
