One clinic tracks the heavy toll Trump's immigration crackdown takes on mental health
The Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies are contributing to a mental health crisis among immigrant communities, according to healthcare providers and data from a Los Angeles clinic. Zocalo Health reports a significant increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts among patients since immigration raids intensified in 2025. Feelings of helplessness and lack of control, compounded by prior trauma, are exacerbating mental health challenges in already vulnerable populations.
- ▪More than half of patients screened at Zocalo Health had severe anxiety interfering with daily life, and nearly three-quarters showed symptoms of depression.
- ▪Nearly 1 in 8 patients at the clinic reported suicidal thoughts, more than double the rate in the general population.
- ▪Patients often expressed a profound sense of helplessness, feeling unable to protect themselves or their families despite changing their behaviors.
- ▪Many patients, like a 29-year-old mother from Oaxaca, Mexico, carry prior trauma from violence and cartel threats in their home countries and during migration.
- ▪Zocalo Health uses community health workers to connect patients to care, especially as families increasingly go into hiding due to fear of immigration enforcement.
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Mental Health One clinic tracks the heavy toll Trump's immigration crackdown takes on mental health May 17, 20267:00 AM ET By Rhitu Chatterjee A child cries after his father is detained by federal agents as they left an immigration court hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on August 26, 2025 in New York City. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown continues nationwide. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images As the Trump administration's immigration crackdown stretches into its second year, researchers and health care workers say that it is creating a mental health crisis in immigrant communities.
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