Tensions rose in a Durham high school following the arrest of Wildin Acosta by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Feb. 28. Acosta, senior at Riverside High School in Durham, was one of the thousands of people that illegally crossed the Mexican-American border in summer 2015.

        ICE agents were waiting outside his home as Acosta prepared to leave for school. His parents did nothing as they witnessed their son get dragged away, for fear of being deported as well. According to ICE Officials, Acosta, 19, is currently in custody after a final removal order from an immigration judge.

        “He made a conscious decision to illegally cross the border regardless of the consequences, and now that he has to deal with the consequences of his decision,” said Officer Dee, Athens Drive security agent.

        Some of the parents at Riverside are afraid to send their children to school, for fear of being deported. As a result, the attendance at Riverside has dropped by an abnormal 20 percent, according to WNCN.

        According to The News & Observer, Durham’s Human Relations Commission sent requests for reconsideration of Acosta’s deportation. His mother says he escaped Mexico to Durham in order to escape gang violence and to get a better education.

        “I think his actions are justifiable. He was desperate to escape something bad to gain something good. It’s not his fault that he wanted a better education,” said Diamond Graham, sophomore.

        In the resolution, Commission member of the Durham Relations Commission, Girija Mahajan called for a “suspension of ICE raids in our local community and for the release of currently detained Durham youth.”

        The Durham School Board voted to pass a resolution against the arrest of its students. They believe that the ICE needs only to focus on those who pose a threat to the Durham community, and not on teenagers who are looking for an education.

        The issue of immigration has always been a prominent issue in the U.S., that has been popularized even more by the current political race. According to the Department of Homeland Security, in 2015, the Department apprehended 406,595 illegal individuals nationwide and conducted a total of 462,463 removals and returns.

        According to an ICE officer, the ICE has always focused its attention on illegal criminals, but as of recently, it now focuses on all illegal immigrants.

        “I sympathize with him, but the law is the law. If he isn’t apprehended, others will feel like it’s okay to break the law,” said Dee.

        The fear of deportation is not just limited to illegal Latinos. Other immigrants such as refugees face the same fear as well. Gov. Pat McCrory as long since declared his disapproval of refugees entering North Carolina.

        There is a Facebook page, Immigration Alert, that has started sharing sightings of ICE agents in order to warn illegal immigrants.

        “I feel bad that their country is in such turmoil that they have to resort to such actions,” said Officer Dee.