In this brief, we use data from the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) to assess exposure to and concerns about immigration enforcement in 2025 for immigrant and nonimmigrant families. 

We find that adults in both immigrant and nonimmigrant families reported that immigration enforcement activities had taken place in their communities, that they were worried about being approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other immigration authorities, and that they personally knew people who had been taken into custody. People of color were the most likely to report worry about being approached by ICE, even in nonimmigrant families. 

Why This Matters

In 2025, the federal government expanded immigration enforcement in unprecedented ways to meet its mass deportation goals. Impacts have extended beyond undocumented immigrants and their family members and affected both US-born and immigrant community members nationwide. 

As policy debate continues over enforcement practices, this analysis provides evidence to assess exposure to and concerns about immigration enforcement across the country.

Key Takeaways

• Both immigrant and nonimmigrant families reported immigration enforcement activity in their local areas. More than 1 in 5 adults in all families (21 percent) were aware of an ICE raid or other immigration enforcement activity that had taken place in 2025 in their area (i.e., where they live, work, shop, or regularly go). This was reported by nearly 1 in 5 adults in nonimmigrant families (19 percent), in which all household family members were born in the US, and nearly one-third of adults in immigrant families (31 percent), in which one or more people living in the household were born outside the US.
• Both immigrant and nonimmigrant families were worried about ICE approaching them. Nearly half of all adults who reported local ICE activity (46 percent) were worried they or a family member would be approached by ICE or other immigration authorities. This concern was reported by over one-third of adults in nonimmigrant families (36 percent), and nearly three-quarters of adults in immigrant families (71 percent).
• People of color were most likely to be worried about being approached by ICE. Among all adults, nearly half of Hispanic adults (48 percent), almost 1 in 5 non-Hispanic Black adults (18 percent), and nearly one-third of non-Hispanic adults of additional races (31 percent), the majority of whom were Asian, were worried that they or a family member would be approached by ICE or other immigration authorities.
• Immigrant families with and without undocumented members worried about being approached by ICE. Adults in mixed-status families (families that include both undocumented immigrants and lawfully present immigrants and/or US citizens) were most likely to worry that they or a family member would be approached by ICE (63 percent). However, 3 in 10 adults in immigrant families made up entirely of citizens had this concern (30 percent), as did half of adults in families with a mix of green card holders and citizens (49 percent).
• Immigrant and nonimmigrant families personally know people who were taken into ICE custody. Among all adults who reported local ICE activity in 2025, about 1 in 6 (16 percent) reported that they personally know someone who was taken into custody, detained, or deported by ICE or other immigration authorities in 2025. This was reported by over 1 in 10 adults in nonimmigrant families (11 percent) and nearly 3 in 10 adults in immigrant families (28 percent).
• Worries about deportations increased between 2024 and 2025 for immigrant families with no undocumented members. Nearly 4 in 10 nonelderly adults in immigrant families (39 percent) worried that they, a family member, or a close friend could be deported in 2025. This rose from 1 in 3 (33 percent) in December 2024. The increase was biggest for the 1 in 4 adults in all-citizen families (27 percent) who were worried about deportations, rising significantly from 16 percent in 2024.