WHAT: Wellnest, a trusted mental health organization serving Angelenos for more than a century, is responding to the latest wave of immigration enforcement and ICE raids with a free, bilingual trauma-informed guide to support children and families during crisis. This guide equips caregivers, educators, and community leaders with tools to foster emotional safety, build resilience, and help children express what they’re feeling. The guide and resources are available immediately to families, schools, and organizations across Los Angeles County
In addition to the guide, Wellnest experts are making themselves available with practical, trauma-informed strategies to:
- Highlight key tools from the guide for supporting children and families under stress.
- Offer expert analysis on the mental health ramifications of ICE raids and unstable enforcement policies.
- Connect families and schools with free emotional health resources, support groups, and ongoing clinical services to strengthen community resilience.
WHY: Recent research underscores a mounting mental health crisis tied directly to enforcement-related trauma:
- UC Riverside psychiatrists warn that aggressive immigration enforcement—including workplace raids and deportations—is creating a “public health emergency for millions of children.” Children in mixed-status households face chronic anxiety, disrupted attachment, and intergenerational trauma.
- A study from the American Immigration Council shows children exposed to ICE raids frequently exhibit PTSD symptoms, including trouble sleeping, frequent crying, and heightened fear (American Immigration Council).
- KFF research and Reuters reporting link living near areas targeted by immigration enforcement to worsened mental, behavioral, and physical health outcomes, including anxiety and depression among children (KFF report / Reuters).
The stakes have never been higher. Faced with such urgent human consequences, it’s imperative to act both in the moment and for the long-term well-being of our children. Wellnest’s deep community presence positions it to respond in culturally responsive ways to urgent needs.
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ABOUT WELLNEST
For 100 years, Wellnest has provided innovative, trauma-informed, and nationally acclaimed mental health services for children and youth in Los Angeles. Originally founded as part of a nationwide initiative to ensure access to comprehensive mental health services for children, Wellnest has emerged as a leader in pioneering innovative solutions to meet the wellness needs of diverse communities. Today, Wellnest has more than 200,000 client engagements, annually. Learn more at wellnestla.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rebecca Haussling
Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs
310-922-7384
