In this brief, we use data from the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) collected in December 2025. The survey findings document the impacts of immigration policies on the daily lives of immigrant families with children and on children’s well-being, particularly for mixed-status families who include both undocumented immigrants as well as lawfully present immigrants and/or US citizens.

Why This Matters

One in four children in the US lives in an immigrant family. In 2025, the federal administration enacted sweeping changes affecting immigrant communities. If these changes lead to disruptions to families’ essential activities, including children’s school attendance and their avoidance of health care and nutrition programs, the effects could compromise children’s health, education, and well-being, both immediately and in the long term.

Key Takeaways

• Over 1 in 5 adults in immigrant families with children reported their families did not engage in essential activities because of immigration concerns. In December 2025, 23 percent of adults in immigrant families with children reported that they or their family members had chosen not to do one or more of six activities in the prior year because they did not want to draw attention to a family member’s immigration status. Specific activities respondents reported they or their families had not done included talking to police (14 percent); driving a car (13 percent); going to work (12 percent); attending religious services or community events (11 percent); sending children to school, child care or after-school activities (10 percent); and visiting a doctor’s office, health clinic, or hospital (10 percent).
• Over 4 in 10 adults in immigrant families with children worried about immigration enforcement. Forty-seven percent of adults in immigrant families with children reported worrying about being approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other immigration authorities, and 42 percent worried that they, a family member, or close friend could be deported. In addition, 34 percent reported worrying about performing one or more essential activities because of immigration concerns.
• Over 1 in 7 adults in immigrant families with children reported their children experienced increased emotional distress because of immigration-related worries. Fifteen percent of adults in immigrant families with children reported that their children experienced increased stress, anxiety, or sadness because of worries about immigration status in the previous year. Such effects were higher for those in mixed-status families (27 percent) but were also felt in families with all citizens (8 percent) and a mix of green card holders and citizens (15 percent).
• Despite high levels of material hardship, almost 1 in 5 adults in immigrant families with children reported that their family went without public benefits because of immigration concerns. Twelve percent of adults in immigrant families with children reported their family avoided safety net programs because they worried their personal information would be shared with immigration authorities, and 16 percent reported their family did not apply for or stopped participating in noncash public programs in the past year because of concerns that program participation would prohibit them or a family member from obtaining a green card. Such chilling effects were higher among adults in mixed-status families but were also reported in other types of immigrant families. At the same time, more than half of adults in immigrant families with children (60 percent) reported experiencing one or more material hardships in the past year.
• Immigrant families with children were more likely to report immigration-related disruptions and worries than those without children. Adults in immigrant families with children were more likely to report that they or their families had chosen not to do essential activities, forgone safety net programs, and worried about doing essential activities compared with those without children.