A new report makes clear what immigrant communities have long known: immigration enforcement is devastating children. Published in Psychiatric News by mental health professionals at the UCR School of Medicine, the study finds that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids inflict trauma on children and warns that “worksite raids and arrests during federal immigration enforcement operations are causing a public health emergency for millions of kids.”
The report highlights the severe mental and emotional toll immigration raids take on both immigrant children and those in mixed-status families. Researchers explain that when a parent or caregiver is detained or deported, adolescents face higher risks of suicidal thoughts, alcohol use, anxiety attacks, and serious disruptions in behavior, sleep, and appetite. For younger children, “abrupt caregiver loss has been linked to sleep and appetite disturbances, emotional dysregulation and developmental regression,” the study states.
Even when families are not directly targeted, the looming threat of separation is enough to cause lasting harm. The report emphasizes that children often live with “chronic anticipatory anxiety that a loved one could be detained or deported,” which results in school absenteeism, academic disengagement, and ongoing emotional distress. In other words, ICE operations don’t just break families apart physically; they inflict trauma that children carry daily.
Los Angeles leaders are beginning to respond to these harms. Mayor Karen Bass assured families last week that “neither LAPD nor school police are sharing information with federal agencies conducting immigration enforcement.” Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced that the district has prepared a family preparedness packet, which includes know-your-rights materials, emergency contact forms, and information for the district’s compassion fund. “The packet ensures students will have continuity of care even in the event of federal activity,” Carvalho explained. He also confirmed new safe passage measures, including additional bus routes to protect students traveling to and from school.
While these steps offer some protection, the UCR report highlights the fact that no school district can shield children from the damage caused by federal raids. The fear of ICE haunts classrooms, homes, and entire communities. If the United States is serious about safeguarding children, then tearing families apart in the name of immigration enforcement must end. Children deserve safety, stability, and dignity; not the trauma of living under constant threat.
You can read and download the report here —>>> Special Report: U.S. Immigration Policy and the Mental Health of Children and Families
