Connecticut activist Clementina Lunar, a tutor for students from immigrant families, says stress among students has grown markedly since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting and deporting families in their communities.

“Since the raids started, I definitely noticed that children have a more difficult time to concentrate, and they express their concerns,” she said. “They definitely show that they are concerned about what is happening. Because even though they’re young children … they can sense their parents’ or guardians’ stress when it comes to this situation.”

Since the start of the second Trump administration in January, ICE raids have escalated throughout the country, quickly adding to the administration’s goal of deporting 1 million people annually. As one of his first actions, Donald Trump rescinded a policy that prevented ICE from entering and arresting people in schools. 

With educators and students no longer protected in schools, anxiety and fear of an unknown future have gripped the community even in states far from the U.S.-Mexico border. According to a New York Times data analysis, the average daily arrest rates nationwide have more than doubled in 38 states compared with the 2024 rate, including those in New England. Data from ICE and the nonprofit Deportation Data Project shows that immigration arrests in New England states spiked from 358 to 1,590 between April and May of this year, and remain higher than they were over the two years, the Boston Globe reported.

In Connecticut, ICE conducted 405 arrests between January and July, up from 173 arrests made during the same period last year. There was also an increase of 145 deportations compared with the same period in 2024, the CT Mirror reported. In Massachusetts, ICE arrested approximately 2,800 people between January and late July, a quarter of whom were Brazilian, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project.

Although the Department of Homeland Security stated in September that ICE raids do not raid or target schools, educators say that students and their families fear going to school, resulting in a decline in attendance and an increase in mental health struggles among students.

Fear keeps students out of school

Research indicates that recent ICE activity has resulted in an increase in student absences because parents fear being separated from their children. It’s unclear whether state education departments are tracking enrollment changes linked to ICE enforcement.

Lunar said that some of the students she tutors in Connecticut have expressed that they don’t want to go to school ever since the ICE raids have increased in their communities. In the spring, when there were rumors of potential ICE presence in Connecticut, absences were higher among students the next day, said a middle school Spanish teacher who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution.

“As an educator, it’s very upsetting because I can’t give them answers that are comforting. I can’t tell them it’s all going to be OK,” she said. “I’ve had students crying because they are terrified that something is going to happen to someone in their family that they love very much, and they don’t know. They don’t know what the future holds, and they feel powerless to do anything about it.”

Similar trends in chronic absences are occurring in Massachusetts as well. In February, more than 1,000 students in Boston-area schools stayed home from school, fearing deportation following news of ICE activity in their communities. Leaders in Boston now are worried about immigrant enrollment amid the federal crackdown; the town of Chelsea is expected to lose about 300 students—a 5% decline from last year’s 6,100 enrollees, according to WBUR. Similarly, The Enterprise reported that the enrollment of English-language learners in Brockton Public Schools has dropped by 220 students compared with the last school year.

One middle school teacher in Malden, Massachusetts, who asked to withhold his name due to fear for safety, told Prism that one student had been missing school for multiple days and later informed her teachers that her mom had been picked up by ICE and was set to be deported. In September, two other students had informed the school that they would be moving back to their home countries.

“There are specific kids in mind as well who I think are missing days because of ICE being out on the streets in Malden, like three out of five days,” he said.

Mental health declines

Reports from parents and pediatricians indicate that the increased fear among children of immigrant families has led to behavioral changes and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The middle school Spanish teacher from Connecticut told Prism that she fears kids aren’t going to be able to process their feelings and will start exhibiting discipline problems as a result. The teacher said she also worries that students will become depressed and self-harm. 

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside found that young children often show signs of disrupted sleep and appetite, emotional instability, and developmental setbacks as a result of the sudden loss of a caregiver from detention or deportation, with older students at an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, substance use, and behavioral issues. A 2020 study showed that Latinx children between the ages of 11 and 16 whose family members were detained or had been deported in the last year were at higher risk for suicidal ideation. 

“You can’t expect a child to learn and do well when they’re not having their basic psychosocial needs met,” the middle school teacher said. “You need stability. You need to feel safe. You need to feel secure. And when you don’t have that, when that is taken away from you, it’s extremely difficult to be successful in school, in anything really.”

Lunar said that everyone is feeling the stress of not feeling safe in their communities because of the ongoing threat of ICE coming into their towns and cities. While some might think that they are safe in their own bubble because they aren’t the target of the attacks, Lunar emphasized that it could escalate to other groups.

“I think now more than ever, we really need to fight this situation, this fascism that just keeps growing in our country,” she said. “It really doesn’t matter if right now it looks like it’s only against those people, but in general, eventually it will just continue to escalate. So right now is the time to gather and make sure that we just become part of an organization who is against this fascism.”

Editorial Team:
Carolyn Copeland, Lead Editor
Lara Witt, Top Editor
Stephanie Harris, Copy Editor