In 2024, early childhood educators in Southwest Detroit observed a significant drop in preschool enrollment following increased immigration enforcement activity. While the decline wasn’t officially documented at the time, community-based organizations report that approximately 15% of students were withdrawn from area preschool programs within weeks.
Advocates and policy researchers attribute these shifts to the growing climate of fear among immigrant families in Michigan. These concerns are not isolated — recent interviews and national policy reports reveal that attacks on immigrant families through stepped-up enforcement, policy rollbacks, and anti-immigrant rhetoric are having direct consequences for early education access across the country.
![]()
"Fear is palpable in immigrant communities across the state." Christine Suave
Families withdrawing without explanation
“Fear is palpable in immigrant communities across the state,” says Christine Sauvé, program director at the
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC). “The Trump administration's cruel and arbitrary enforcement regime is affecting all the decisions families make about their daily activities, and that includes important actions like taking their little ones to child care.”
Sauvé noted that many immigrant families in Michigan are of mixed immigration status. Even when children are U.S. citizens and fully eligible for public programs, caregivers often avoid engaging with schools or government-affiliated services due to concern over possible exposure to enforcement.
“The overly punitive enforcement climate can inhibit family involvement in schools and child care settings,” Sauvé added. “We've seen mothers and their young children detained in U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody and high school students deported.”
Suma Setty, a senior policy analyst at the
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), has studied the effects of immigration enforcement on early childhood systems. She says that fear among immigrant families has created a “chilling effect,” where families are opting out of programs or disengaging from child care systems entirely.
“This trend affects both providers and families,” Setty says. “Roughly 18% of early care providers are foreign-born. We’ve heard from child care workers and families who are afraid to participate, and we’ve heard from providers who are losing families without clear explanation.”
![]()
Suma Setty
Because most early childhood programs rely on enrollment-based funding, even a modest drop in participation can threaten a program’s financial viability. According to Setty, these disruptions place further strain on an already fragile child care sector.
“Child care businesses operate on thin margins,” she says. “Immigration enforcement adds a destabilizing factor that impacts the availability of care for all families — regardless of their immigration status.”
CLASP has also documented ongoing confusion about immigrant eligibility for public benefits, particularly in the aftermath of the Trump-era expansion of the “public charge” rule. Though the Biden administration has reversed that policy, Setty says misinformation continues to shape family decisions.
The “public charge” rule is a U.S. immigration policy used to determine whether someone applying for a visa or green card is likely to become primarily dependent on government assistance. Under the Trump administration, the rule was expanded to include a broader range of public benefits—such as Medicaid, food assistance (SNAP), and housing aid, and applied a stricter test that weighed an applicant’s income, health, education, and other factors.
In a recent CLASP project focused on Michigan, researchers conducted interviews and focus groups with immigrant applicants for public benefits. Many expressed hesitation about applying for benefits like child care subsidies due to fear that it could affect their immigration status.
“There’s widespread uncertainty about who qualifies and whether personal information will be shared,” Setty says. “In some cases, families are withdrawing from programs or choosing not to apply — even when they or their children are eligible.”
She adds that even administrators and caseworkers sometimes unintentionally provide incorrect information, further complicating access.
In Grand Rapids, the fear felt by immigrant families has not gone unnoticed.
“We know that within our community, there is a lot of fear,” says Luke Stier, director of communications and community liaison at
Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS). “From the beginning, we reaffirmed our core belief here at GRPS that our schools are safe and welcoming spaces where everyone belongs.”
The district has taken intentional steps to back up that belief with action.
“Our public safety and security team developed a guide that outlines visitor protocols, specifically how to respond if an ICE agent were to arrive at a school,” says Stier.
The district trained all school office staff and shared the protocol widely with families.
“We also created a similar guide for school bus drivers in case they’re approached while on a route,” he says.
GRPS maintains a dedicated
Immigration Resources section on its website that includes these protocols in multiple languages, as well as community resources like the
MIRC Family Preparedness Guide and the
Hispanic Center of West Michigan’s emergency preparedness toolkit.
“We’ve also hosted school-based gatherings with community partners to walk families through the guides and provide a space to ask questions and receive support,” Stier says.
Earlier this year, GRPS launched a policy advisory committee made up of board members, administrators, community partners, and families to review district policies through an equity lens.
“So far, the group has reviewed eight policies, including our equity policy and school visitor guidelines,” Stier says. “It’s another way we’re ensuring our policies reflect the values we’re committed to upholding.”
![]()
Print resources available from MIRC
Developmental implications for young children
The decision to delay or avoid early education enrollment can have long-term effects. Research cited by CLASP links disruptions in early childhood education to reduced social-emotional development, limited maternal workforce participation, and lower health and educational outcomes over time.
In CLASP’s earlier interviews with parents of young children, some reported behavioral changes in response to increased enforcement, including sleep disturbances, anxiety, and separation difficulties. These findings mirror broader studies showing that even children who are U.S. citizens may be affected when someone in their family or community is detained or deported.
“There is substantial evidence that punitive immigration policy contributes to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),” Setty says. “These include impacts on housing stability, mental health, and family financial security — all of which shape early learning outcomes.”
Despite these challenges, Setty says some early childhood providers and community organizations are taking proactive steps to reduce fear and build trust with immigrant families.
“We’ve seen programs offer transportation stipends to make it easier for families to attend without relying on their own vehicles,” she says. “Some organizations are providing virtual leadership development and mental health services or helping families create emergency preparedness plans in case of separation.”
States like Maryland and California have also adopted legislation limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities — an approach some advocates say could help reduce fear in other states.
CLASP has developed a
Safe Space Guide to help early childhood providers prepare for possible encounters with immigration authorities. The guide includes protocols for responding to enforcement activity and resources to support immigrant families.
![]()
Print resources available from MIRC
What’s next for Michigan
As federal immigration enforcement continues to evolve, Michigan educators, program leaders, and policymakers face questions about how to protect access to early education for all children.
“Even if a child is not personally at risk, they may still internalize fear from adults in their community or home,” Setty says. “This is not a niche issue. Immigrant children make up nearly 25% of the U.S. child population.”
According to Sauvé, disruptions in enrollment and disengagement from child care settings are already affecting classrooms and family wellbeing in Michigan.
“Breadwinners and loved ones are being quickly deported without due process,” she says. “The trauma and instability that results touches every part of a child’s life, home, health, and school.”
For districts like Grand Rapids, the priority is clear.
“It’s not enough to say schools are safe, we have to demonstrate it,” says Stier. “That means putting protections in place, communicating with families, and standing firm in our values, even in uncertain times.”
Dr. Brianna Nargiso, a graduate of Howard University and Mercer University, specializes in media, journalism, and public health. Her work has appeared in The Root, 101 Magazine, and Howard University News Service, covering profiles, politics, and breaking news. A Hearst journalism award nominee and active member of the National Association for Black Journalists, she has also worked with Teach for America and the Peace Corps. A doctoral graduate of American University, Brianna is dedicated to advancing social justice, public health and education on a global scale.
Photos by Nick Hagen.
Early Education Matters shares how Michigan parents, child care providers, and early childhood educators are working together to are working together to create more early education opportunities for all little Michiganders. It is made possible with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.