Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are targeting undocumented workers. These raids have created a lot of worry for communities in regards to immigrant labor and emotional stress for families in terms of the future. 

Industries such as construction, farming or agriculture are now facing possible labor shortages, wondering what economic consequences might happen long term if these mass deportations keep happening.  

“It makes me very angry, it makes me very sad, and very disappointed in the country that I love, the United States,” said Armando Castillo, moderator of Latinos Unidos at Archbishop Riordan High School. 

Undocumented workers play a vital role in sustaining industries who struggle to fill positions that U.S citizens tend to not want to do.  

According to The Fulcrum, states like California, Texas, and Arizona consider immigrant labor a “necessity” due to many labor shortages. 

“There are millions of acres of oranges, asparagus, apricots and every other kind of crop in the United States that are lying in the field with no one to pick them.”     

“They destroyed their workforce and they cannot find replacements because Americans will not do that kind of work, for that kind of pay, for those kind of conditions,”  Castillo expressed.

The writer of this article, Steven Hill, stated “nearly 2.8 million immigrants account for more than 18 percent of the industry’s force.” 

The removal of these workers could shrink the U.S. workforce and affect daily living, driving up costs, and consumer prices. 

Castillo, who is also a Spanish teacher and a U.S. Marine Corps. veteran, said labor shortages will affect the country.

“The price of fruits and vegetables is going to skyrocket because of the scarcity of the products due to the interruption of a dispersed labor force.”

For example, many immigrants work in the fields harvesting crops for hours in the sun. This job is one that if unoccupied by its current workers will become very difficult to fill. Without enough workers to harvest crops, food waste will increase, causing loss for farmers and suppliers who heavily rely on immigrant workers. 

Additionally, the field of construction could also become impacted as projects can be delayed due to lack in skilled laborers.

In regards to possible economic consequences, immigrant families contribute greatly to their local economies. Housing, transportation, and outside purchases are all contributions that every  family has to make and the absence of immigrants will lead to reduced economic status as a whole. For tax revenues as well, undocumented immigrants still contributed billions of dollars not qualifying for any government aid. 

Removing workers from places that need them to support their businesses will affect more than just one person. It affects the economy and the well-being of numerous families and communities. 

The social consequences of ICE raids are not just affecting statistics for economies. Families are being separated, leaving U.S. born children without parents and communities without key members. Emotional trauma is also expected to play a role specifically for the younger generations being directly hit by these separations. 

 Anxiety, depression, public health conditions, and homelessness are all potential factors following the ICE raid  repercussions and are primary reasons why communities are choosing to protest. 

 “I saw many people our age in their teens fighting for their parents who are immigrants and who are fighting for not just them, but for many others who are truly working and just want to start a new life to help their families,” said Israel Covarrubias ’25.  

According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, “Laws and policies aimed at increasing police and immigration surveillance and enforcement result in decreased mobility for undocumented immigrants, disruptions in employment opportunities and social support relationships, and limited access to public services, as well as chronic fear, anxiety, and stress surrounding deportation, detention, and family separation.”

In addition, the raids are “directly associated with adverse mental health outcomes among undocumented immigrants, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use. 

Of particular concern is the children. A study by Boston University concluded that children of undocumented people “are more at risk of psychological distress and mental health issues due to trauma and fear for their parents.”

Also, “these learning and situational risk factors, environmental risk factors, and biological risk factors can affect a person’s life, especially in the case of children who now have to grow up with the trauma of their parents being deported and possibly being forced into adoption centers or with a family member with legal status (possibly family members who they have never met or might not trust).”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers links to Temporary Protected Status, Asylum in the U.S., Inter-Country Adoptions, and Refugee Resettlement to the U.S., but nothing specifically about aiding those suffering from mental health conditions as a result of being detained or deported by ICE. 

 The Department of Health and Human Services reported in “Healthy Border 2030” that “Migrants and locals in these areas (states that share a border with Mexico) face compounded stress from both climate events and pre-existing economic struggles, necessitating increased mental health interventions.” 

It also acknowledged “Legal uncertainties surrounding the status of migrants may deter them from seeking timely medical assistance, creating a public health challenge.”

With the economic, social and overall health of those directly and indirectly affected, organizers in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco seem determined to persist with rallies in support of immigrants. 

Covarrubias said, “It’s just monumental to see how many people do care about their community and how they care about the future of not just individual places but this country as a whole.”