For a mother of three living in Charlotte, immigration uncertainty adds to another pressing concern: how to support her family. Financial hardship has forced her to move, lose her car, and rely on assistance to cover basic needs, as she recounted in the study. "Living under stricter immigration control", published by the Urban Institute.
“We’ve had to move because we couldn’t afford one place, so we have to look for another,” she said. Adding to the search for housing is the fear that her paperwork will become a barrier to finding a place to live.
The help came in the form of a food donation and a cash gift. “Thank God, we were able to pay the electricity, the rent, and everything else,” she said. Although she managed to cover those expenses, she explained that the late payments forced her to pay late fees.
Her testimony is part of the 34 interviews that the Urban Institute research team conducted with mothers and fathers of Latino families with mixed immigration status in Chicago and Charlotte in mid-2026.
By then, high-profile immigration operations had decreased in both cities, but the threat of further immigration enforcement actions persisted.
The fear of family separation
The interviews explored how adults and children live in an environment of increased immigration control and the effects of such control on economic stability, children's education, and the physical and mental health of families.
They also discussed changes in daily routines, access to legal assistance, and family preparedness for an emergency.
The study also examined the measures and support that have helped immigrant families, as well as those they still need to cope with persistent challenges.
These include actions by community members, community organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and local authorities.
In all the interviews, the threat of an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could separate an undocumented father or mother from their family marked the daily lives of all members of the household, including children with U.S. citizenship.
Chicago and Charlotte: immigration raids
Chicago and Charlotte experienced high-profile immigration operations in late 2025, but immigrant families faced those deployments under different protection frameworks, according to the Urban Institute.
In Illinois, state and Chicago policies promote the integration of immigrants and limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Protective measures have also been implemented in schools, hospitals, courts, and childcare centers.
In Charlotte, local shelter initiatives coexist with state laws that require greater collaboration with ICE.
Although Mecklenburg ended its 287(g) agreement in 2018, the General Assembly passed measures requiring sheriffs to cooperate with the federal agency and certain state agencies to assume immigration enforcement functions under such agreements.
Changes in employment and fears about ICE
Nearly half of the mothers participating in the report reported changes in their employment as a result of the immigration operation carried out in their city.
The women attributed these changes to the fear of going out into public spaces and exposing themselves to a possible encounter with ICE.
Among those who reported changes, most reduced their working hours or left their jobs.
“Yes, well, working hours have decreased a bit, and besides, there used to be weekends too, and now there aren’t many,” said a mother of two living in Chicago.
“My partner sometimes went to work in other places; I mean, he had a part-time job in some places, or something like that, and all that has ended now, it’s gone,” he said.
Some temporarily stopped working and returned with shorter shifts when the intensity of the operations decreased.
Only one mother increased her working hours after her husband's arrest and the resulting drop in family income.
Children who work to support their families
Some mothers interviewed for the study indicated that their teenage and young adult children started working or looking for employment to help pay for rent, utilities, and food.
Most were U.S. citizens and faced a lower risk of immigration detention than their parents.
“We had to make a family plan so that my son, the oldest, and my daughter had to work to keep up with expenses, because here we pay rent, we pay bills, for food,” said a mother of three in Chicago.
For this mother, the impact on the whole family was very big, as her children's lives had to change drastically.
“My 20-year-old daughter had to leave school to face this life, so that she would have to work more and be able to cover the household expenses,” she stated.
In some cases, looking for work was a preventative measure against a possible arrest of their parents.
In other cases, the response was a reduction in working hours, the arrest or deportation of one of them. One mother recounted that, after her husband's deportation, her daughter dropped out of college to help support the family.
Search for help with basic needs
Most of the parents consulted reported economic difficulties related to immigration control, which caused delays in paying rent and services.
The drop in income and the rise in food prices worsened the situation.
Some families faced evictions or had to move to smaller apartments or a single room.
The mothers turned to food banks, churches, schools, and community organizations to get food.
In some cases, they received the donations at their homes to avoid exposing themselves to possible encounters with immigration agents.
Many families also received help from community organizations to pay for housing, gas, electricity, and water.
Others exhausted their savings or emergency funds, and some sold their vehicles to cover expenses.
Blockage to access to aid for children
Despite the economic difficulties, most of the mothers who shared their testimony expressed fear of applying for Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for their eligible children, the report highlights.
They were concerned that their data would be used for immigration control or that receiving aid would affect future procedures under the criteria of “public charge”.
Even with those concerns, most kept their U.S.-born children on Medicaid, considering medical care a basic right and a priority need.
With food assistance, the response was different: more than half of the mothers considered that participating in SNAP represented a migration risk and chose not to do so.
Five mothers whose children had recently lost that benefit did not reapply because of those concerns.
Some of those who continued to receive it indicated that they needed the help to feed their children, despite their fear.
Fear of ICE and healthcare
The constant fear of being separated from their children severely affected the mental health of the mothers participating in the study.
Between efforts to avoid potential encounters with ICE and difficulties in meeting family needs, many relegated their own well-being.
Nearly half reported missing medical appointments for fear of encountering immigration agents.
Nine of them suffered from chronic diseases that usually require continuous care, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions or cancer.
Some also postponed gynecological exams and mammograms, while others needed care for new health problems but were afraid to leave home.
In Chicago, some clinics offered transportation to patients who had missed several appointments.
However, fear also led some families to avoid hospitals, even in situations that ultimately required surgery or hospitalization. For other mothers, a child's emergency forced them to go out despite their fear, considering their children's health the priority.
The cost makes it difficult to access legal assistance.
More than half of the parents participating in the study indicated that they did not have access to legal assistance.
Although almost half had spoken briefly with a lawyer —for an immigration consultation, to prepare guardianship documents or to respond to the detention of a family member—, the cost made it difficult to obtain or maintain their services.
For many families, paying a lawyer was out of their reach as they tried to cover rent and other basic expenses.
Some also didn't know how to find reliable professionals or had work schedules incompatible with consultations.
“I don’t have a reliable reference. I don’t have the money, obviously, to make a consultation,” said a mother of three in Charlotte.
Some families also doubted the usefulness of hiring legal representation in light of changes in immigration policies.
Others indicated that lawyers had told them they did not qualify for certain immigration relief or legal assistance options.
fear and anxiety
Fear and stress stemming from increased immigration control affected the emotional well-being of the mothers surveyed.
Some had received or were receiving psychological support, mainly through non-profit organizations near their homes.
Two expressed that they needed more sessions after completing the initial care.
Among those who had not received counseling, some expressed interest in accessing it and indicated that their partners and other family members could also benefit.
However, the cost, lack of health insurance, and difficulties in accessing aid limited access.
Some also felt overwhelmed by the amount of information.
“I’m kind of alone, keeping a lot of things to myself,” said a mother of four in Chicago, who expressed her need for someone to talk to and receive support.
The impact continues after the operations
For the mothers participating in the Urban Institute study, the decrease in immigration operations in their cities did not mean a return to tranquility.
Months later, the fear of an encounter with ICE and the separation from her children continued to condition her daily decisions: going to work, going to the doctor, or seeking legal assistance.
The findings show how that fear can turn into a chain of difficulties.
Working less reduces income; this reduction makes it difficult to pay for housing and food, while medical and legal needs are relegated.
Furthermore, the study warns that mothers bear the emotional burden of supporting the household and caring for their children.
Families have found ways to cope with these circumstances. They have turned to community organizations, family members, neighbors, and volunteers, reorganized their routines, and, in some cases, sought psychological support.
However, the authors caution that exhausting savings, borrowing money, or selling a vehicle are not resources that can sustain them indefinitely. The continuity of donations and aid programs is also not guaranteed.
What do these findings mean for families?
For those going through similar situations, the study allows us to recognize that economic difficulties, isolation, and anxiety are part of a problem shared by other families.
It also identifies the support that participants considered valuable: trusted community organizations, schools, community clinics, and counseling services.
The authors propose three priorities to strengthen that response:
- Accessible financial and legal assistance. Strengthen organizations that provide food, rent and services, and expand free or low-cost legal assistance before an arrest causes a crisis.
- Physical and emotional care. Expand affordable services that are appropriate to the language and cultural context of families, as well as offer transportation to facilitate consultations.
- Support in preparing a family plan. Having people who can guide you, step by step, on the essential documents, connections with legal services, and the necessary procedures in the event of a possible separation.
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