Category

Research

Determinants of Mental Health Service Utilization Among Immigrant Caregivers and Their Children in a US-Mexico Border Community

By | Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Families Research, Research, Research Highlight

Determinants of Mental Health Service Utilization Among Immigrant Caregivers and Their Children in a US-Mexico Border Community

Carolina Villamil Grest, Megan Finno-Velasquez, Irene Casey, & Sophia Sepp; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health (December 23, 2025)

A study of 240 immigrant families in New Mexico found that help-seeking attitudes and access to coordinated health and social services are key drivers of mental health service use, highlighting the need for culturally informed outreach and integrated care for immigrant families in the border region.

‘Why Is This Happening to Us?’ Daily Number of Kids in ICE Detention Jumps 6x Under Trump

By | Detention, ICE, Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research, Research Highlight

‘Why Is This Happening to Us?’ Daily Number of Kids in ICE Detention Jumps 6x Under Trump

Anna Flagg and Shannon Heffernan, The Marshall Project (January 29, 2026)

According to this Marshall Project analysis, the number of children held in ICE detention has surged more than sixfold under the second Trump administration, from an average of 25 children per day under Biden to around 170.

Listening to caregivers of young children about immigration enforcement

By | Deportation, Family Separation, Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research

Listening to caregivers of young children about immigration enforcement

RAPID Survey Project, Stanford Center on Early Childhood (February 24, 2026)

This fact sheet draws on national survey data from parents and child care providers on the widespread impact of intensified federal immigration enforcement in fall 2025, with findings broken down by immigration status to capture how families are experiencing the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history.

Sanctuary Making: Immigrant Families Reshaping Geographies of Deportability

By | Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research

Sanctuary Making: Immigrant Families Reshaping Geographies of Deportability

Carolina Valdivia, University of California Press (February 2026)

This book examines how immigration enforcement has expanded beyond the border into everyday interior spaces—neighborhoods, workplaces, hospitals, and homes—revealing how young adults in undocumented and mixed-status families take on significant emotional and legal labor to create sanctuary for their families amid pervasive fear and anxiety.

 

The US Deportation System: History, Impacts, and New Empirical Research

By | Deportation, Immigrant Families Research, Research, Research Highlight

The US Deportation System: History, Impacts, and New Empirical Research

Caitlin Patler & Bradford Jones, The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences (November 2025)

This article reviews multidisciplinary research on the U.S. deportation system and its implications for individuals, families, communities, and the U.S. economy while identifying gaps and directions for future research.

Considerations for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in the Child Welfare Reform Debate

By | Child Welfare System Research, Foster Care, Immigrant Youth, Research, Research Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors

Considerations for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in the Child Welfare Reform Debate

Zayna Lyon, Kerri Evans, Linda-Jeanne M. Mack, and Morgan Pardue-Kim; Families in Society (February 8, 2025)

This article examines how the debate over abolishing or reforming the child welfare system has overlooked unaccompanied immigrant children served by ORR, calling for greater access to ORR data and more participatory research to inform policy and practice.

 

New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion and Features of State and Local Laws and Policies,

By | Immigrant Families Research, Language Issues, Research, Research Highlight

New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion and Features of State and Local Laws and Policies

Jacob Hofstetter, Migration Policy Institute (January 2026)

This report examines the growing importance of state and local language access policies as federal protections weaken, finding that these efforts are vital for meeting the everyday communication needs of governments and their communities.

The Fear is Everywhere: U.S. High School Principals Report Widespread Effects of Immigration Enforcement

By | Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Research, Research Highlight

The Fear is Everywhere: U.S. High School Principals Report Widespread Effects of Immigration Enforcement

John Rogers and Joseph Kahne, UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (December 2025)

This report, based on a national survey of 606 high school principals ,examines how intensified immigration enforcement during the early months of Trump’s second term affected U.S. schools.

Impacts of Immigration Policies on Families

By | Highlighted Resources, Immigrant Families Research, Immigration Enforcement, Legal/Law, Research, Research Highlight

Impacts of Immigration Policies on Families

Leisy J. Abrego & Lucia León, Annual Review of Sociology (January 23, 2025)

This review examines how the complex U.S. immigration system affects immigrant families’ access to opportunity, health, education, and safety. It urges scholars to study impacts from the migration journey through settlement while centering ethics in research with families made vulnerable by immigration laws.

Changing Origins, Rising Numbers: Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States

By | Immigrant Families Research, Research, Research Highlight

Changing Origins, Rising Numbers: Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States

Julia Gelatt, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and James D. Bachmeier, Migration Policy Institute (October 2025)

This fact sheet provides an updated analysis of the undocumented immigrant population in the United States, showing that 6.3 million children live with at least one undocumented parent, and the majority of these children are U.S. citizens.

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