And this isn’t just anecdotal. The data backs it up. Here’s a snapshot:
- “Mixed families” tend to behave according to the person with the least documentation. Living in a state of fear, uncertainty, or insecurity, or the actual family separation, can trigger toxic stress—an ongoing activation of the body’s stress response system that disrupts healthy brain development, especially in children. Over time, this can elevate heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, leading to long-term health and developmental consequences.
- In 2008, 400 people at an Iowa factory were detained after a raid, and the news spread throughout Iowa communities. A study found that in the 37 weeks following the raid, there were more Hispanic American babies born with low birth weight due to stress in mothers across Iowa.
- In Los Angeles, fear of immigration raids led people to delay seeking care for tuberculosis. Pathogens don’t care about immigration status, and when fear deters care for contagious illnesses, it affects everyone’s health.
- In 2023, after Florida passed a law to require hospitals to ask for immigration status, 66% of noncitizens reported increased hesitation to go to the hospital (compared to just 27% of citizens). Delayed care will increase costs.
But amid the policy shifts, communities can still be a source of strength. Children like Aiden need extra care, support, and stability. Caregivers, educators, neighbors, and clinical teams all have a role to play. Marisa, YLE’s correspondent in New York, pulled together resources for you to help support the children and families quietly carrying this burden. She also took a deeper dive into the data and noted the recent rollback of protections for sensitive locations. Check it out here:
Your Local Epidemiologist — New York
The ripple effects of deportations
Immigration, one area experiencing significant policy change, is inextricably linked to public health. News of ICE raids has been all over the media, but what does that mean, and how do they affect New Yorkers…
Bottom line
Policy shifts don’t happen in a vacuum—they ripple through classrooms, clinics, and dinner tables, shaping the lives of children and communities in quiet but profound ways. I hope that wherever Aiden’s parents are now, they know their child is still surrounded by a community that cares deeply about his well-being.
This weekend, I’ll be hugging my girls a little tighter. Turning off the noise. Heading to the ocean. And grounding myself in community and connection.