Trump’s Crackdown on Immigration is Taking a Toll on Child Care Workers

December 17, 2025

President Trump's mass deportation initiative has significantly disrupted the childcare industry, which depends heavily on immigrant workers who comprise about one-fifth of the workforce nationally and up to 40% in major cities. Childcare centers serving Latino communities have dramatically altered their operations due to increased ICE presence, canceling field trips, community events, and outdoor activities while implementing safety protocols for potential ICE encounters. The crisis has intensified following ICE's elimination of protected-site policies for schools and the termination of Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants, forcing many childcare workers to leave their jobs.

Who is affected

Immigrant childcare workers and preschool teachers (majority working legally in the U.S.)
Staff at CentroNía bilingual preschool in Washington D.C.
Tierra Encantada Spanish immersion preschool employees across multiple states
Children attending these preschools, particularly at CentroNía and Guidepost Montessori School in Oregon
Immigrant parents and families using childcare services
Approximately 79,000 U.S.-born mothers of children under 6 who left the workforce
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who lost Temporary Protected Status (including 300,000 Venezuelans)
A teacher arrested at a Chicago Spanish immersion preschool
Teacher Edelmira Kitchen (U.S. citizen stopped by ICE)
A father arrested near Guidepost Montessori School in Portland

What action is being taken

CentroNía staff are pushing children on strollers through hallways instead of taking neighborhood walks
CentroNía converted a classroom into a miniature library after scrapping a partnership with the local library
Teachers stopped taking children to nearby parks, libraries, and playgrounds
ICE officials are conducting regular patrols and making arrests in historically Latino neighborhoods
Mental health consultants are working with teachers at CentroNía to address their anxiety
Teachers at Guidepost Montessori are monitoring students using "the regulation station" with fidget toys for self-regulation

Why it matters

This issue is significant because the childcare industry crisis affects multiple layers of society simultaneously. The exodus of 39,000 immigrant childcare workers since January has created a severe workforce shortage in an already strained field, preventing American-born mothers from participating in the workforce due to lack of available childcare. The psychological impact extends beyond adults to young children who are experiencing trauma and heightened anxiety from witnessing immigration enforcement actions or sensing fear from their teachers and parents. The disruption threatens Spanish immersion programs that serve both immigrant families and families seeking bilingual education for their children, while the climate of fear is fundamentally changing how educational institutions operate, limiting children's learning experiences and community engagement.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint