22% of immigrants know someone arrested or deported since Trump took office, survey finds

Immigrants in the United States are reporting growing fear over detention and deportation as higher H-1B visa fees and stricter immigration enforcement take effect under the Trump administration.

According to the 2025 Survey of Immigrants, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in collaboration with The New York Times, 22% of immigrants say they personally know someone who has been arrested, detained, or deported on immigration-related grounds since Trump took office in January.

Most of those affected had not committed a serious crime. Yet 41% of immigrants said they worry that they or a family member could face detention or deportation—a sharp rise from 26% in 2023.

The survey found that concerns are highest among likely undocumented immigrants, at 75%. However, lawfully present immigrants have also seen a significant increase in worry, from 33% to 50%, while naturalised citizens’ concerns rose from 12% to 31%.

More than half of immigrants (53%)—including majorities of both naturalised citizens and lawfully present immigrants—reported lacking confidence that they or a family member would be treated fairly by the U.S. legal system if detained on immigration-related charges.

The impact is also affecting daily life. Nearly three in ten immigrants said they had cancelled travel plans to avoid scrutiny from immigration authorities. Fear was most pronounced among undocumented immigrants, with 63% avoiding both domestic and international travel. Caution extended beyond this group, with 32% of H-1B visa holders and 15% of naturalised citizens also refraining from travel.

The H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to employ highly educated foreign professionals in specialised roles, remains a central pillar of employment-based immigration. In December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the traditional lottery system for H-1B visas would be replaced with a weighted selection system favouring higher-paid and more highly skilled applicants. The new rule, issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will take effect on February 27, 2026.

In September, Trump signed a proclamation raising H-1B application fees, saying the move was intended to curb abuses of the program that he argued disadvantage American workers.

The changes have hit India particularly hard, as Indian nationals have traditionally been the largest beneficiaries of H-1B visas. Indian IT companies now face higher costs for thousands of employees, while many professionals working in U.S. technology, finance, and healthcare have been unsettled by postponed visa appointments.

H-1B visas are used primarily in the technology sector, with companies such as Amazon, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc., and Apple Inc. among the largest recipients.

As the rules evolve, the tech industry is being forced to adapt to shifting U.S. immigration policies, even as anxiety among immigrant communities continues to rise.