Immigration Enforcement and the Collective Psyche: The Mental Health Impacts of ICE Activity and Increased Arrests In Los Angeles

Background and Purpose:
Since January 2025, federal immigration enforcement has been marked by an escalation in violent and aggressive tactics — large scale raids, inhumane detentions, and two high-profile shootings of civilians. However, limited peer-reviewed research has examined the direct and indirect psychosocial effects of experiencing, witnessing, or living in regions targeted by escalated immigration enforcement activity. Conceptualizing the current anti-immigration enforcement environment as a collective trauma, this study aims to understand how escalating anti-immigrant actions impact mental distress in a highly diverse and urban region experiencing increased ICE activity. We explored how (1) exposure to ICE activity and (2) increased ICE arrest rates in the region impact emotional affect and mental distress in the general population, and whether race/ethnicity and immigration status moderate these impacts.

Methods:
The study utilized self-report survey data from the Understanding America Study and the LABarometer – a representative, address-based random-sample of Los Angeles County residents (N = 1274). Monthly surveys from January to October 2025 were linked to monthly ICE arrest data during the same time period. Self-reported witnessing or experiencing ICE activity was obtained through a one-time question in the survey, while mental distress was indicated by monthly measures of perceived stress and anxiety, and negative affect was measured through self-reported anger. Mixed-effect models were fitted using maximum likelihood estimation with participant ID as the clustering variable. Fixed effects included sex assigned at birth, education level, household income, witness/experience of an arrest, U.S. born status, and race/ethnicity on level-two, as well as survey wave and number of arrests in the region on level-one.

Results:
Witnessing or experiencing ICE activity was associated with higher anxiety and higher anger. Survey waves were significantly associated with anxiety, with anxiety decreasing over time. Preliminary analyses suggest that the monthly number of ICE arrests do not significantly predict perceived stress, anxiety, or anger. U.S. born participants experienced higher perceived stress, anxiety, and anger compared to non-U.S. born participants.

Conclusions and Implications:
Witnessing or experiencing ICE activity was associated with higher levels of anxiety and anger, and the study supports the negative impact of ICE activities on mental health and emotional affect among people. Arrest data and their impacts on mental health are still being explored, but preliminary results suggest that, as anticipated, direct exposure to ICE activity is significantly more deleterious to mental health than indirect exposure in one’s community. The study extends the scope of current literature by examining immigration enforcement as a form of collective trauma and supports the perspective that intensified immigration enforcement yields a tangible impact on the well-being of community members.