Discusses trends affecting children of unauthorized immigrants, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. child population. Eighty percent of the children of immigrant parents live in “mixed status” families comprised of citizen children and one or more noncitizen parents. Unauthorized parents frequently work low-wage, unstable jobs and may be afraid to access social services for their children for fear of deportation. Most children of immigrants are below the age of 6, have U.S. citizen status, live in a two-parent household, and dwell in the nation’s most populous cities and states. Recently, immigrants have begun to find work in more rural states, which have experienced increased demands on their health care, social services, and school systems. As part of low-income families, the children experience food insecurity, poor health, crowded housing, and a lesser frequency of health insurance than children of native families. Their parents’ lack of formal schooling and English proficiency also negatively affect their school performance. Immigrant families show low usage of formal childcare arrangements.
