NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson says scammers are pretending to be immigration lawyers and charging large upfront fees.

The uptick in absences came just after the start of Border Patrol operations in Charlotte.

A federal immigration crackdown centered around North Carolina’s largest city of Charlotte appeared to be tapering off Thursday, local law enforcement leaders said, but a Homeland Security official insisted the arrests would not let up.

A crowd in Winston-Salem rallied Thursday against the ongoing immigration raids, calling for unity and support as anxiety grips the community.

A federal immigration crackdown based in North Carolina’s largest city that authorities said led to hundreds of arrests is now over, a local law enforcement agency said Thursday.

Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during an immigration crackdown in North Carolina centered around Charlotte, the state's largest city. Those totals released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are about double the arrest figures announced earlier this week.

For the rest of this week, volunteers will welcome students at school and act as lookouts should immigration agents show up. Many parents are keeping their children home out of precaution.

The Department of Homeland Security says the number of people arrested in Charlotte since Saturday is now more than 250. Border Patrol agents started sweeping the city five days ago, looking for people present in the country illegally. The Border Patrol has not responded to WFAE’s questions about the identities of those arrested, what they’re charged with or where they’ve been taken.

U.S. Customs and Border patrol agents fanned out across the Triangle Tuesday, leading many businesses that serve or are run by immigrants to close or reduce staff.

The expansion of immigration enforcement in North Carolina worries some Latino residents in the Triad.