The Department of Homeland Security will now allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct arrests at schools. The new directive announced last week rolls back Biden-era policy that prohibited ICE detentions at schools, houses of worship, and medical facilities. DHS said they now expect local law enforcement to “use common sense” to aid in deportations, as the Trump administration is pushing ICE to hit new daily quotas.
New Hanover County Schools interim superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes said he’s been asking for guidance on the new federal directive from his meetings with regional superintendents, the ‘Big 12’ (largest 12 school districts in the state) superintendents, and the attorneys for the district.
Barnes told WHQR that as superintendent, his main job is to maintain safety and learning for students while complying with the law.
“Once clear guidance is known, I will share it with the public, and we know this is worrisome for some parents and students,” he said.
Several New Hanover County school board members spoke to WHQR about the new order.
Josie Barnhart said, “We will continue to educate our students to the best of our ability.” Judy Justice she said if ICE officers come on campus, that would be a “traumatizing scenario” for students.
Tim Merrick echoed some of Justice’s sentiments.
He wrote, “I believe it is the responsibility of the school district to ensure a safe learning environment for every student in our schools. Arrests and/or incarceration are very traumatic events for children. They are one of the measures of ACES, adverse childhood experiences, that have been proven to have serious health, mental health, and educational impacts on children. We need to keep our children safe. I'll be keeping a close eye on how our district leadership chooses to handle the conflicting mandates of safety and this new overreach of the Trump administration.”
Brunswick County and Pender County school officials are also grappling with the potential legal challenges. On Tuesday, Brunswick County Schools superintendent Dale Cole sent a statement to WHQR outlining the district's current approach to the executive order.
"At this time BCS has received no communication of any kind from federal immigration authorities, and we are not anticipating federal enforcement of immigration policy to become a distraction for our staff or students," he wrote. "Should the need arise, we will work closely with local authorities to ensure that any interactions with ICE within our schools are handled with the utmost care, respect, and in accordance with legal guidelines. We will continue to communicate any changes as more information is provided to our school district."
Bob Fankboner, a spokesperson for Pender County Schools, emphasized the importance of complying with student privacy laws in any potential interactions with ICE.
"Any request beyond basic directory information from outside agencies, including law enforcement, must adhere to established protocols such as court orders or subpoenas before information is shared," Fankboner said, adding that Pender County Schools — like all school systems in North Carolina — does not collect immigration status information for students or their families.
"The well-being of our students and families remains our top priority," Fankboner wrote.
Columbus County Schools has not yet shared any information on their plans for the executive order with WHQR.
Whiteville City Schools did not respond to multiple requests for comment from WHQR; nor did any sitting school board members in Pender County, Brunswick County, or Columbus County.
Hispanic and Latino students and their families are likely to face the most significant impact from increased ICE activities in schools. The Pew Research Center estimates that about 8 million of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States came from Latin American countries. About 850,000 undocumented immigrants are under 18 years old.
Even if a student has legal status, many come from mixed-status households (which may include undocumented relatives). About 4.4 million children in the United States live with an undocumented parent, according to estimates.
The Cape Fear region has far fewer Hispanic students than the statewide average, which was 21.9% for the 2023-24 school year. New Hanover County Schools had the highest number of Hispanic students at 19.1% of the population that year. 17.5% of students at Brunswick County Schools and 16.8% at Pender County Schools were Hispanic.

Though undocumented students are subject to privacy protections on a local, state, and federal level, the executive order brings up questions about mixed-status households. If a child's parents are deported, it's unclear whether the school, the Department of Social Services, local law enforcement, or other agencies would step in and care for them. WHQR has contacted ICE for comment but has not yet received a response.
Read the school districts' statements on ICE operations in full below.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, Columbus County Schools spokesperson Kelly Jones sent an official statement on ICE to WHQR. It reads in part:
"Regarding law enforcement activity on school campuses, our guidelines remain unchanged: any law enforcement agency, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), must present a judicial warrant before detaining a student on school grounds or accessing student records protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which safeguards the privacy of student education records."
Read the statement in full below.