MIAMI – A KFF survey released Monday reveals a growing health crisis among immigrant families in the United States, fueled by increased immigration enforcement and economic hardship under the Trump administration. The survey, conducted in partnership with The New York Times in Fall 2025, found that nearly half of immigrant parents report negative health impacts due to immigration-related worries, and a significant proportion are delaying or skipping medical care for themselves and their children.
The findings come as the Trump administration continues a push for mass deportations, even as illegal border crossings have reached their lowest levels in seven decades, according to reporting from the Associated Press. This approach differs from the family separations at the border during Trump’s first term, which sparked international condemnation, but is nonetheless dividing families and creating widespread fear within immigrant communities.
More than half (55%) of immigrant parents surveyed reported problems paying for health care, housing, or food in the past 12 months, a significant increase since 2023. Approximately 52% stated it has been harder to earn a living since January 2025. These economic challenges are particularly acute for those with lower incomes and limited English proficiency.
The survey highlights the profound psychological toll of increased immigration enforcement. Twenty-seven percent of immigrant parents reported that their children have expressed worries about something bad happening to the family due to their immigration status, rising to 60% among likely undocumented parents. Nearly half (47%) of all immigrant parents reported experiencing increased stress, anxiety, or sadness linked to immigration-related concerns since January 2025. Eighteen percent reported negative impacts on their children’s well-being, including sleep disturbances, changes in school performance, and behavioral problems.
Access to health care remains a significant barrier. Twenty-two percent of immigrant parents are uninsured, more than double the rate among those without children. Fifteen percent report having at least one uninsured child, a figure that climbs to 27% among likely undocumented parents. Thirty percent of immigrant parents reported that their children missed, delayed, or skipped health care in the past year, with immigration-related fears cited as a reason by 14%.
The KFF survey also noted a concerning trend of families avoiding medical care altogether. Twenty percent of immigrant parents reported that they or a family member had avoided seeking medical attention since January 2025 due to immigration concerns. This follows reports of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence at health care facilities, reversing previous policies that designated such locations as “sensitive areas” protected from enforcement.
The survey builds on previous KFF research, including the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants, and two additional surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025. Separate reports from the Fall 2025 survey examine immigrants’ health care experiences experiences amid increased immigration enforcement, and the political implications of immigrant voters’ views on immigration enforcement.
