Growing up is hard enough on its own, but children in immigrant families are facing especially difficult challenges as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to ramp up its operations throughout the country.
The long term health consequences are serious — and measurable.
Children in immigrant families are at risk for mental health difficulties, and immigration enforcement fears or experiences compound their risks for long-term behavior and physical health issues that follow them into adulthood, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
The health effects fall under the umbrella of adverse childhood experiences, which occur between ages 0 and 17 and can have long-term effects on a child’s health, opportunity, and well-being. Immigration enforcement is considered a childhood adversity.
Adult health issues tied to ACEs come with a $14.1 trillion price tag every year, and much of that cost—$13.9 trillion—is attributed to “lost healthy-life years,” according to a 2023 economic evaluation.
“When these experiences are chronic and uncontrollable, they can trigger toxic stress, a prolonged activation of the body’s stress response without adequate buffering support. Over time, toxic stress can disrupt brain development, impair learning and memory, increase anxiety and depression, and elevate long term risk for chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders,” said Dr. Amber A. Hewitt, a health equity and policy executive.
Both immigrant children and children born to immigrant parents in America are subject to ACEs because of their “migration experience,” which is compounded by discrimination and immigration enforcement. American Immigration Council data show “4 million U.S. citizen children live with at least one undocumented parent.”
“Immigration enforcement should never be a child’s “normal.” But for many children, especially those in immigrant and mixed status families, repeated exposure to raids, family separation, or constant fear becomes part of daily life. That is where the harm compounds,” Hewitt said.
The Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies are resulting in ICE’s increased presence in communities, arrests driven by a 3,000 per day goal, and detentions, and the reversal of a “sensitive locations” policy issued in 2011 and expanded under the Biden administration, that included primary schools and universities, places of worship, hospitals, funerals, or public demonstrations such as marches, rallies, and parades.
Some immigrant parents are keeping their children out of school, and research shows children have negative educational outcomes because of absenteeism, disengagement, and overall emotional distress caused by immigration-enforcement fears or experiences.
And when immigration enforcement fears disrupt children’s routines, the changes can lead to mental health disturbances, anxiety, and changes in their blood pressure.
“Immigration related trauma is a systemic issue, and policy is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent ACEs from becoming chronic toxic stress,” Hewitt said.
Since 2018, 37 states and D.C. have enacted or adopted ACES legislation since 2018. Some bills created task forces or training for educators as prevention tactics.
Minnesota, home to 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who, with his father, was removed by ICE agents and sent to a Texas detention facility in January, passed key legislative acts to prevent ACES in 2015 and 2021. Liam and his father have since returned home.
Researchers and policy experts have recommended interventions such as enhanced screening and testing for ACEs and culturally-responsive care and dialogue.
“Reducing harm requires action at clinical and community levels, and providers and educators need to practice with cultural humility and understand what trauma-informed care actually looks like in practice,” Hewitt said.
Trusted community messengers, Hewitt said, are also essential, because “families are far more likely to seek support when services are delivered through people and institutions they trust.”
Despite widespread angst, faith leaders, members of Congress, and community advocates are banding together to protest, show solidarity against the Trump administration, and inspire hope among the immigrant community.
