The American Immigration Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Large-scale enforcement operations, increased enforcement at airports, a growing number of ICE deaths, record-breaking detention and deportation efforts, and the loss of legal protections for certain residents, like Haitians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), have become hallmarks of the second Trump administration. These increasingly common enforcement strategies and policy changes are disrupting the lives of immigrant and mixed-status families, workplaces, and communities, while contributing to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. As communities face these changes, many individuals are avoiding public spaces, social activities, schools, healthcare providers, and other essential services out of fear. The result is a pervasive climate of uncertainty that affects daily life, undermines individual well-being, erodes community trust, and carries long-term mental health consequences.
Recognizing these challenges, state and local leaders are pursuing targeted responses. In Illinois, lawmakers have considered proposals to fund community-based mental health services and rapid-response networks for residents affected by immigration enforcement. The state has also considered legislation requiring health insurers to cover no-cost mental health visits for individuals impacted by enforcement activities during declared emergencies. In Boston, a $4.4 million immigrant assistance fund will support mental health programming, and last year, New York City held a roundtable to discuss improving immigrants’ access to mental health resources.
For many families, uncertainty itself has become a source of chronic stress — and children are particularly vulnerable. Across the country, an estimated 205,000 children have experienced the detention of a parent or caregiver, while others have faced detention themselves. Family separation can cause significant emotional distress, disrupting children’s sense of safety, stability, and belonging, with lasting effects on children’s mental health, educational outcomes, and long-term development. School districts are reporting increased student absenteeism and decreases in student enrollment.
Families are not only being separated; they are being destabilized. Nearly 17,900 of ICE detentions in Fiscal Year 2026 self-reported as parents of U.S.-citizen children, which is almost double from Fiscal Year 2024. When a parent is detained, families often face an immediate loss of income, increased housing insecurity, and disruptions in childcare and schooling. These consequences ripple far beyond a single household. Employers are suddenly without an employee, schools without a student, and peers without a friend. In Los Angeles, researchers have highlighted the economic and social impacts of increased enforcement on immigrant-owned businesses and neighborhoods, estimating that businesses in impacted regions experienced over $3 million in accumulated losses. Local officials in Minneapolis raised concerns about the fear, confusion, and instability these operations create throughout entire communities — many still carrying around identification documentation, supporting food deliveries and mutual aid for impacted neighbors.
The impacts also extend far beyond individuals directly targeted by enforcement actions. Reports from Illinois, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis describe communities grappling with trauma as neighbors, coworkers, and family members are suddenly taken from their homes, workplaces, and daily routines. In many cases, those detained have lived in the United States for years, built careers, raised families, and become integral members of their communities. Enforcement actions involving unmarked vehicles or agents in plain clothes have led to confusion and justified fear — and have at times turned deadly — leaving communities reeling as they figure out how to move forward.
At the same time, broader federal policy changes are threatening access to critical support systems that could help individuals cope with trauma and mental health challenges. Cuts passed under the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” coupled with other policies that immigrants have previously relied on, have impacted access to services for qualified immigrants. This, compounded by the latest public charge rule that will discourage eligible immigrant households from obtaining services they are legally able to obtain, are leaving immigrant families with fewer resources at the very moment they need support most. Even when services remain available, the stigma and fear of interacting with public institutions can discourage families from seeking support.
Enforcing immigration laws and constructing an effective immigration system are crucial. However, the policies and practices seen today reflect a troubling shift toward fear-based enforcement, fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric and misinformation that deepen division and uncertainty within communities. The mental health impacts of these policies do not end when an individual is released from detention or a headline fades. Fear, trauma, and distrust can persist for years, creating barriers to healthcare, education, economic stability, and civic participation while undermining the trust that helps communities remain safe, healthy, and resilient.
