TEXAS (August 9, 2026) – As students across Texas return to the classroom for the fall semester, some are carrying more than backpacks with them. Prolonged child detention, increased immigration enforcement, and the detention or removal of parents and caregivers can create fear and instability that follow children into schools and other trusted community spaces.

For many children, the effects of immigration enforcement begin at home. A 2026 Brookings analysis estimates that Texas has one of the nation’s highest rates of U.S.-citizen children affected by parental detention, with more than five out of every 1,000 experiencing the detention of a parent since January 2025.

With one of the highest rates of children affected, Texas schools are absorbing these effects without the staff needed to do so effectively. In Texas, one full-time counselor serves an average of 389 students, while the national recommendation is far below that at 250 to 1. When children arrive carrying fear or instability, the adults best positioned to help are stretched thin in our state.

On Wednesday, September 9 at 10:30 AM CT, CHILDREN AT RISK gathered community leaders and issue experts for a virtual press conference to examine how immigration-related trauma can shape children’s mental health, family stability, school attendance, and academic outcomes. The discussion also explored what these experiences can mean for Texas schools, communities, and the state’s current and future workforce.

“Some people look at our current immigration policies and don’t see it as a children’s issue, but it is,” said Dr. Bob Sanborn, President & CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. “These are children – they are our future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and police officers. And they are being traumatized.”

Those disruptions can follow children into the classroom. Research examining a large worksite raid in North Texas found increased student absenteeism and school mobility, along with declines in reading and math performance among students in affected communities. CHILDREN AT RISK’s previous analysis of the Greater Houston region found that for every percentage-point increase in a district’s chronic absenteeism rate, the odds of a wider achievement gap for emergent bilingual students nearly tripled. Missed school days compound quickly, and the disruptions that keep children home rarely resolve on their own.

For other children, the experience includes detention itself. Since the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley reopened in March 2025, approximately 3,000 children were held there during its first year of operation. More than half remained in detention longer than 20 days, and at least 60 children were held for 100 days or longer.

Children classified as unaccompanied are held through a separate federal system, where stays have also grown considerably longer. The average length of care increased from 30 days in fiscal year 2024 to 117 days in fiscal year 2025.

Whether experienced through separation, fear, or detention, immigration-related trauma can shape a child’s mental health, family stability, education, and sense of safety. As Texas children return to school, the consequences can reach well beyond an individual family and into classrooms and communities across the state.

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About CHILDREN AT RISK

CHILDREN AT RISK is a research and advocacy nonprofit leading the way in improving the quality of life for Texas children. CHILDREN AT RISK considers the whole child by tracking issues in children’s health, safety, education, and economic security to improve equity and justice for all Texas families. Committed to action beyond the data, CHILDREN AT RISK drives evidence-based change by speaking out on behalf of children. For more information, visit childrenatrisk.org, Facebook, and Twitter.