HOUSTON — A survey by the University of Houston found that two thirds of Latino high school Students in Harris County live in fear of deportation.
They also found that more than half of those students met the threshold for mental health issues caused by the constant fear. They include anxiety, PTSD or depression.
"A high portion of our kids in our sample experiencing clinically significant symptoms anxiety post-traumatic stress disorder," said Jodi Berger, an associate professor at the University of Houston.
"It's a fear that immediately settles in. the best way to describe it you feel your whole body tense up and you think of the worst," said Eliott Flores local DACA student.
Flores is a 20-year-old who dreams of being a neurosurgeon. He's determined not to let his fear get in the way.
"I don’t let it beat me. I don’t let the idea that I can’t have a future cloud my mind. We have to keep doing something we have to show that we came to this country for a reason," said Flores.
The University of Houston Migration Policy Institute recently conducted an in- person survey with 306 foreign born and U.S. born Latino students at 11 high schools here in Harris County and in Rhode Island.
"We asked them a series of questions about immigration enforcement and how that impacts their well-being and their families," Berger said.
Social workers hope these findings help create policies that can help.
"Getting these findings with policy makers and decision makers are in my view the component with social justice framework that social workers have and practice from the field," said Berger.