Deportation Anxiety in the Latine Community

By Nicole Silverio, PhD, LPC, LMFT, and Daniel Gutierrez, PhD, LPC, CSAC

With 68 million people, Latines represent the largest ethnic minority in the United States. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, Latines account for one in every five Americans, making it increasingly likely that counselors could find themselves providing clinical services to Latine clients. Given rapidly changing immigration policies, counselor readiness to work with the Latine community requires awareness of deportation anxiety. 

Deportation anxiety is when someone fears or worries that they or someone in their social circle might be detained or deported. Recent increases in detainment and removal proceedings of immigrants make these fears more tangible. A 2025 Pew Research Center report found approximately 52% of Latines are concerned about deportation for themselves, a friend or family member, and nearly one in five Latines knows someone who has been detained or deported.

Effects of Deportation on Mental Health and Family Relationships

Although the majority of Latines are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, they make up approximately half of the U.S. immigrant population, with many living in mixed-status households where at least one person is undocumented. This, combined with racial profiling concerns, may help explain why deportation anxiety is so pervasive in the Latine community.  

Counselors can be aware of deportation anxiety’s implications for Latine mental health. In our rapid review study examining the last 25 years of peer-reviewed literature on deportation anxiety and mental health, we found that fear of deportation is associated with increased psychological distress, depression, anxiety and substance use. Many of these studies sampled Latines across differing immigration statuses (e.g., citizens, permanent residents, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and undocumented immigrants), as well as across the lifespan. This body of literature suggests that deportation anxiety and its negative influence on well-being can be a concern for the Latine community regardless of someone’s age or immigration status.

Our findings also highlighted that deportation anxiety influences relational well-being, with various researchers noting changes in Latine family dynamics. Families can experience increased conflict, difficult shifts in family roles, and disengagement from outside services and social commitments due to fear.

Parents, for example, may avoid risk by not dropping off their children at school or asking them to limit interacting with people outside their community. Some parents also reported navigating the difficult decision of whether or not to inform their children about their immigration status, fearing how this might affect their children’s emotional well-being. Children may experience anxiety about parental deportation and limit sharing these feelings for fear of burdening their parents. Communication, family dynamics and family relationships are all subject to change when fear of deportation is present. 

Tips for Counselors Working with Latine Clients

Based on findings from this study, we offer the following recommendations for clinicians serving the Latine community: 

• Examine Personal Biases: Continuously question the messages you have received about Latines and Latine immigrants. How have these messages influenced your beliefs about this community? How can these beliefs influence your clinical work?
• Normalize Fear Responses: Be aware of responses that may be natural, adaptive coping strategies, such as hypervigilance, avoidance and sleep disturbance to dangerous situations. Help clients understand that deportation anxiety is a rational response to a real systemic threat and not a sign of weakness or abnormality. Naming this during sessions can help reduce shame and validate the client’s lived experience, lowering barriers to seeking help. 
• Be a Resource: Stay updated on policy changes and available resources that can support Latine clients struggling with fear of deportation. Understanding the sociopolitical climate around immigration can give context for some of the systemic stressors Latine and Latine immigrants may face. Be ready to assist with information on supportive resources, such as food and medical assistance, legal aid, housing support and immigrant advocacy groups.
• Assess for Presence and Impact: Avoid asking clients about their immigration status but do assess whether someone is fearful of changing policies and immigration activities. If this fear is present, counselors can assess its impact, particularly as it relates to depression, anxiety, substance use and relational dynamics.
• Communicate Legal Limitations: Be transparent about confidentiality and its limits, as well as about your documentation practices. Avoid including anyone’s immigration status in client files, which may inadvertently increase risk. 
• Consider a Trauma-Informed Approach: Given that detainment and deportation processes can be traumatic, using a trauma-informed approach can be attentive to client autonomy, empowerment and choice. 
• Reinforce Clients’ Strengths: Latines and Latine immigrants are likely using a wide variety of resources to navigate a stressful sociopolitical environment. Helping clients acknowledge these strengths can be incredibly empowering.