Many US families depend on immigrant nannies. Trump’s policies could upend that

“The childcare sector broadly has long been facing a crisis and a shortage of workers. And immigrant workers are critical to keeping that system running. Both the formal sector and the informal sector,” says Wendy Cervantes, director of Immigration and Immigrant Families at the Center for Law and Social Policy.

Catalina, a 23-year-old US citizen, confidently drives to her job as a nanny and earns a fair wage. Yet her mother – an undocumented immigrant from Peru – has worked in the shadows for 30 years. “Even though we have the same job, do the same thing, and work the same hours, the pay is very different,” Catalina tells CNN. “I’ve done very well because I was born here, and the pay is very good when you speak Spanish.” CNN has changed her name to protect her identity and her mother’s safety. During Barack Obama’s time in the White House, Catalina’s mother considered returning to Peru, according to her daughter. The Obama administration focused on curbing interior deportations (as opposed to deportations at the border) and, especially in its later years, on so-called “quick returns” of recent border arrivals who were perceived to have fewer ties in the US. “A lot of people told her nothing would happen, and indeed, nothing did,” Catalina says, explaining her mother ultimately decided to stay. However, the harsh immigration policies of Donald Trump’s administration paint a bleaker picture for both. The 23-year-old fears her mother could be detained when she drops off the children of a family she cares for every afternoon to support her own family.