A primary care clinic in Los Angeles says the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement is driving a surge in anxiety, depression and suicidal thinking across the immigrant families it serves.
Zocalo Health, which primarily treats Latino Medicaid patients, shared clinic screening data showing clear increases in psychological distress during periods of heightened enforcement, according to Sophia Pages, Zocalo’s executive director of behavioral health. “Immigration enforcement is functioning as a real time public health stressor in the communities that we serve,” she says.
All patients at Zocalo receive standardized screenings for anxiety, depression and suicide risk. Since federal agents began more frequent raids of farms and neighborhoods around Los Angeles in 2025, therapists at the clinic documented sharp increases in symptoms: more than half of patients screened reported anxiety severe enough to interfere with daily life, nearly three-quarters showed signs of depression, and almost one in eight struggled with suicidal thoughts — a rate more than double that seen in the general population.
Pages and her team say a common thread behind the spike is a pervasive sense of helplessness. “No matter how careful they were — changing routines or staying home — people felt they couldn’t protect themselves or their families,” she says. That loss of control, Pages adds, can intensify depression, trauma-related distress and suicidal thinking.
Zocalo relies heavily on community health workers to connect people to care, especially as some families go into hiding amid enforcement actions. Those workers have become a central link between worried patients and the clinic’s therapists.
Past trauma compounds the impact. Many patients arrived having fled violence, exploitation or threats in their home countries and suffered stress during the journey to the U.S. One patient, identified only as Esperanza, described escaping cartel violence in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the fear she carried across the border. She began experiencing insomnia, heart palpitations and constant clamminess while trying to build a new life in California. When ICE raids intensified, her fears of deportation and separation from her children grew — and so did her symptoms.
Her 11-year-old son, already hearing news at school about immigration enforcement, became terrified of being left behind. “He is scared of me going out alone,” she said, and sometimes told her, “If they get both of us, then at least we’ll be together.”
Pediatric experts warn that the effects on children can be long lasting. Ariana Hoet, a pediatric psychologist, notes Latino children already face elevated risks for depression and anxiety because of acculturation stress, language barriers, discrimination and prior trauma. Adding a chronic, pervasive stressor like aggressive enforcement can worsen those risks.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the current crackdown has become a toxic stressor for children, likely to affect their developmental, physical and mental health over time. Research shows children who experience a parent’s deportation have more than double the odds of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Clinicians describe common reactions among children in affected communities: increased clinginess, withdrawal from peers and activities, somatic complaints such as stomachaches or headaches, sleep and appetite changes, and shifts in behavior. School and community partners have reported rising mental health and behavioral concerns since enforcement ramped up.
At Zocalo, therapists who treat adults are working to support patients like Esperanza with practical coping strategies and connection to community supports. Esperanza says therapy helped her reduce panic attacks and rebuild a sense of self-worth. She learned breathing exercises and grounding techniques, uses music and baking to calm herself, and has found strength in a local church community. She now feels able, at times, to leave the house and to teach calming skills to her husband and son.
Clinics and child-serving organizations say they are struggling to meet the growing need for mental health care as enforcement actions continue. Community health workers and local therapists are stretched, and families often face barriers to accessing sustained, culturally competent treatment.
Anyone considering suicide or in crisis can call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; press 2 to speak with a counselor in Spanish. If you or someone you know is showing signs of severe distress, seek immediate help from local emergency services or a mental health professional.