A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Many children in the Twin Cities are scared and anxious as the massive surge in federal immigration enforcement continues in Minnesota. NPR's Meg Anderson spoke with parents, teachers and counselors about what those kids are experiencing.MEG ANDERSON, BYLINE: All over the Twin Cities, there are children living in fear right now that loved ones will be taken away, that they'll see violence or that they'll get hurt themselves. Inside an apartment in South Minneapolis, the blinds are drawn.A: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: A is an asylum-seeker from Mexico. NPR's only using her first initial because she's afraid Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will deport her. She says she and her family - her wife and two daughters - haven't left the house in almost a month. Both children are U.S. citizens.A: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: She says her youngest, a 2-year-old, has been crying a lot more lately and having tantrums. And her older daughter, a 10-year-old, keeps asking...A: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: "Why can't we go outside? Why can't we play in the snow?"Her mom tells her it's not safe, and it's not. Last week, a family trying to get around a volatile protest was tear-gassed in their car. Their 6-month-old baby was hospitalized. And on Wednesday, federal officers detained a 5-year-old boy who lawyers for the family say was used as bait to draw family members out of their home. Razaan Byrne, a pediatrician at Children's Minnesota, a pediatric health system, says fear is manifesting in the way children are behaving.RAZAAN BYRNE: Every single patient I saw yesterday, we had some discussion over the increased stress, trauma, worry, anxiety, depression that is stemming from the presence of ICE in our communities.ANDERSON: Some children are having emotional outbursts. Others are regressing in milestones. Children who were potty-trained, for instance, are now wetting the bed again. And many are asking troubling questions.BYRNE: What happens if I'm not with my family anymore? - saying it flat out. I have had patients who have specifically asked, if my friend doesn't come to school, is it because they're sick or is it 'cause they're not safe?ANDERSON: Other adults NPR spoke with say they're worried about the long-term effects that stress might have on the kids they care for. The surge in immigration officers is also affecting children whose families are not at risk of being deported. Kelly Fulton is a mom in South Minneapolis. Last week, her 9-year-old daughter was at a play date on the other side of the block when the other mom texted her.KELLY FULTON: She said, this is happening in front of our house right now, and sent a video.ANDERSON: In the video, Fulton could see immigration officers surrounding a car while protesters whistled and honked.FULTON: The agents get out, and they bash in the windows of the car, open the doors and physically remove one of the passengers.ANDERSON: Fulton rushed over. Her daughter had seen at least some of the incident, and that whole night...FULTON: She kept saying things like, I think I hear whistles. I think I hear honking. And she wanted to stay downstairs in the basement, and she told me she felt safer in the basement away from the windows. And what she said was, I just don't want to see ICE.ANDERSON: Many community members are taking action to make children feel safer.UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: Nothing. Nothing.ANDERSON: On a recent afternoon, parents stood guard at a Minneapolis elementary school as children left the building.UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Have a good night.ANDERSON: But not every child who would normally be there was. In a nearby apartment building, yet another home has its blinds drawn. Inside, a pastel Christmas tree is still up in the corner. V lives here with her 8-year-old daughter, a third-grader at the school and a U.S. citizen. NPR is only using the mother's first initial because she has an ongoing immigration case and is afraid ICE will detain her. We're not using her daughter's name at all.V: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: This is like nothing she's experienced, she says, being trapped in her own home.V: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: Her daughter has no way to leave, and she says she feels terrible about that. The two of them have been inside this apartment for more than a month. The daughter is taking advantage of her school's remote-learning option during the surge. Neighbors have been bringing them food. The daughter says here in this apartment, she feels safe.UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: (Speaking Spanish).ANDERSON: "Because ICE can't enter here," she says. But something her mom doesn't tell her? With a warrant, ICE could. The two of them sit curled against each other in an armchair. There's a wood carving in the shape of Minnesota hanging on the wall above them. Etched in the middle - the word home.Meg Anderson, NPR News, Minneapolis. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.