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April 16, 2022
CAMFT is dedicated to promoting mental health, relational well-being, and emotional safety, especially in moments of fear and instability. Today, we recognize the pain, anxiety, and trauma many immigrant families and communities are experiencing in the wake of recent events.
Recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California have led to the detention and deportation of individuals and include U.S. citizens, parents with U.S. citizen children, and people with long-standing ties to their communities. These actions have reverberated across immigrant individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and communities, creating a climate of fear, anxiety, and disruption. These conditions inflict a form of silent trauma, in which the cumulative and often unseen psychological effects of enforcement practices contribute to chronic stress, anxiety and reduced well-being across entire communities (Dadras & Hazratzai, 2025). Consistent with this, studies have also documented that immigration enforcement policies take a toll on the mental health across broad populations, including U.S. citizens (Pinedo & Valdez, 2020). This impact spans age groups, including children, as parental detention and deportation are associated with trauma symptoms and significant psychological distress among Latino citizen children (Rojas-Flores, Clements, Hwang-Koo, & London, 2017).
Mental health professionals across the state are witnessing the impact firsthand: individuals experiencing heightened anxiety and depression, families withdrawing from vital services, and communities coping with sustained, collective stress and uncertainty. These outcomes are not hypothetical. They are the lived reality of many Californians, and they demand our attention.
Research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) confirms what many clinicians witness every day: that forced separation, community-level intimidation, and threats to family integrity leave lasting wounds. Children of deported parents are more likely to experience unresolved grief, anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges such as aggression (Allen, Cisneros, & Tellez, 2015). More broadly, exposure to enforcement-related stress can have enduring mental health consequences across the lifespan, contributing to anxiety, depression, complex relational challenges, and physical health impacts. Recent research further demonstrates that exposure to immigration enforcement in childhood is associated with elevated anxiety into young adulthood, underscoring long-term and developmental nature of these experiences (Lee, Dreby, Hon, & Seng, 2025). These are not just policy issues. They are human issues that profoundly affect the well-being of the people our members serve.
CAMFT respects and supports the rule of law but disavows indiscriminate enforcement practices that can produce diffuse and lasting psychological harm at a population level, even among those not directly targeted (Dadras & Hazratzai, 2025). From a mental health perspective, indiscriminate enforcement strategies are associated with significant and lasting psychological harm that impacts citizens and non-citizens alike, extending beyond directly affected individuals to families and entire communities.
CAMFT affirms the dignity and humanity of all people. We disavow actions that knowingly inflict psychological harm, destabilize families, or retraumatize already-vulnerable communities. As a professional association, our role is to support marriage and family therapists in their practice and advocate for the mental health of individuals, couples, families, and communities. In doing so, we also affirm our responsibility to speak up when core values like access to care, human dignity, and emotional well-being, are under threat. Trauma must be understood not just at the individual level, but as a collective experience affecting families, communities, and entire societies (Joseph, Tanous, Hosny, & Koga, 2022). Recognizing this broader context underscores CAMFT’s call to address both personal and systemic harm.
We will continue to listen deeply to the voices of our members, especially those on the frontlines of care. We know these times are challenging. We also know that no one organization can tackle these issues alone. By staying grounded in our shared commitment to compassion, care, and mental well-being, we can continue to support the health of individuals, families, and communities across California.
References: Allen, B., Cisneros, E.M., & Tellez, A. (2015). The children left behind: The impact of parental deportation on mental health. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(2), 386 - 392.
Dadras, O., & Hazratzai, M. S. (2025). The silent trauma: U.S. immigration policies and mental health. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 44, 101048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2025.101048 PubMed
Joseph, S., Tanous, O., Hosny, N., & Koga, P.M. (2022, January 27). Whose trauma? De-colonizing post traumatic stress disorder and refugee mental health frameworks. Perspectives in Primary care. Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care. https://info.primarycare.hms.harvard.edu/blog/whose-trauma
Lee, E., Dreby, J., Hong, Y., & Seng, T. (2025). Childhood immigration enforcement exposure and young adults’ anxiety: A mixed methods study. Children and Youth Services Review, 172, 108276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108276
Pinedo, M., & Valdez, C.R. (2020). Immigration enforcement policies and the mental health of US Citizens: Findings and comparative analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 661(102) 119-129. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12464
Rojas-Flores, L., Clements, M. L., Hwang Koo, J., & London, J. (2017). Trauma and psychological distress in Latino citizen children following parental detention and deportation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(3), 352–361.