FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2026
CONTACT:
Shadi Houshyar
Director of Health Justice Policy
shadi.houshyar@cssp.org | 202) 674-2453
Maya Meinert
Director of Communications
mmeinert@childrenspartnership.org (213) 341-0383
New Research Brief: How Immigration Policies and Enforcement Harm California’s Children and Families
Community health workers describe how fear, uncertainty, and exclusion impact the health of children and families, and what policymakers can do to help
Los Angeles, CA: The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), in partnership with The Children’s Partnership (TCP), today released Through Their Eyes: How Immigration Enforcement Is Undermining the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Families. The brief draws on interviews with community health workers and other frontline providers in San Diego, the Bay Area, and the Central Valley.
More than 3.8 million California children live in immigrant families, and 90% of these children are U.S. citizens. They are experiencing fear, anxiety, and exclusion due to immigration policies and enforcement practices. However, the impact does not end there, as immigrants and their families are skipping medical appointments, forgoing care, and isolating themselves due to confusion about public charge and data sharing.
In interviews with CHWs and other frontline providers, participants consistently described four overarching themes that illustrate how immigration policy and enforcement practices are affecting immigrant families:
- Economic conditions are worsening for immigrant families and their children.
- Immigration policy and enforcement practices are creating a chilling effect and reducing access to health care.
- Immigration enforcement is undermining the health, mental health, and wellbeing of children and families.
- CHWs are providing critically important support to families but struggling themselves.
Said Shadi Houshyar, Director of Health Justice Policy from the Center for the Study of Social Policy:
“Every child deserves to be healthy and safe, and every family deserves the care and support they need to raise healthy children. Yet immigration policies and enforcement practices are making it harder for immigrant families to get health care and other essential supports, while creating fear and uncertainty that impact their health, wellbeing, and daily lives. Our conversations with community health workers across California show how these policies and practices disrupt access to essential services, take a toll on health and mental health, and undermine families’ sense of safety and stability. We must build policies and systems that protect family unity and ensure all children and families have the care, support, and stability they need to be healthy and well.”
Lily Dorn, Health Care Policy Manager from The Children’s Partnership:
“Community health workers are on the front lines, seeing every day how families are coping with shifting policies at the intersection of public benefits and immigration. The findings from this report will shape our advocacy to strengthen the Medi-Cal Community Health Worker benefit, restore immigrant health coverage, counter the harms of federal policies like public charge, and secure data privacy protections that keep families safe from immigration enforcement. Not every family or community health worker can make the trip to Sacramento, which is why research like this is so important. It helps ensure their experiences are heard by the people making decisions about their lives.”
The brief recommends that policymakers:
- Protect access to supports, including restoring full-scope Medi-Cal for adults affected by California’s enrollment freeze and eliminating federal eligibility exclusions.
- Invest in community health workers through stable financing, fair pay, and a stronger Medi-Cal CHW benefit.
- Protect families’ privacy by keeping health and social services separate from immigration enforcement.
Click here to read the brief and learn about our policy recommendations to support families, invest in care workers, and protect privacy amid exclusionary immigration policies and growing immigration enforcement.
About the Center for the Study of Social Policy
For 45 years, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) has worked to advance anti-racist, intersectional, and human-centered policy and practices to support those who face the greatest barriers to wellbeing and self-determination in a society that is racially, socially, and economically unjust. CSSP believes that all children, youth, and families should have what they need to thrive. To advance this mission, we are guided by our commitment to racial justice and expertise in family autonomy, economic justice, and health justice. Our work connects policy, systems, communities, and the experiences of children, youth, and families to drive change.
About The Children’s Partnership
The Children’s Partnership (TCP) is a California-based children’s policy and advocacy organization committed to advancing child health equity through public policy, research and community engagement. TCP envisions a California where all children—regardless of their race, ethnicity or place of birth—have the resources and opportunities they need to grow up healthy and thrive. Learn more at childrenspartnership.org.
