
In light of the many recent policy changes regarding immigration at the national, state, and local levels, University of Tennessee College of Social Work (UTCSW) Associate Professor Mary Held and PhD student Eliza Galvez published an analysis on the critical role of social workers in responding to these new immigration policies and programs. An expert in trauma and resilience among immigrant communities, Held’s work is situated in the current sociopolitical climate of both immigrant-sending nations and the United States.

The brief, originally published in 2019, has been updated with new analyses for 2025. In this brief, Held and Galvez highlight the essential role of social workers in addressing the needs of immigrant individuals and families. They provide insights into topics and strategies that could be integrated into training for social work students, practitioners, and researchers on how to support immigrant communities effectively during these challenging times. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics upholds these values and has published materials on immigration and racial justice.
Preparing Students to Work with Affected Communities
Held and Galvez argue that the social work profession must not only continue to speak out on issues of social justice but also determine how to prepare social workers with the knowledge and skills required to work with those most affected by past and upcoming policies targeting immigrant communities. Preparing social workers for the workforce requires helping them understand the immigration process through both trauma-informed and strengths-based lenses.
Incorporating Current Political Events into Social Work Curricula
Held and Galvez also suggest that social work students should have opportunities to discuss the impact that changes in policy are having on immigrant families and communities. Social work educators are well-positioned to provide opportunities to learn about federal and local policies that have acute and long-term impacts on the health, well-being, and service utilization of immigrant clients. They also state that students should learn about immigrant communities’ cultural and social norms and learn to critically analyze policies with this knowledge. This content could be integrated into general education courses that discuss work with diverse populations, as well as specialized courses on practice with individuals and families and policy courses.
Similar training should also be broadly available to current social work practitioners.
New policies can shift accessibility to services, inflict trauma, pose threats to health, and create new needs among clients, and Held and Galvez note that practitioners might not feel fully prepared to respond. They argue that practicing social workers should seek additional training to respond effectively and appropriately to such situations to help clients find and obtain the legal, economic, and mental health support they may need. Social workers should also familiarize themselves with culturally responsive prevention and intervention programs and local services designed and tailored for immigrant clients.
The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics calls on social workers to challenge social injustice and continually develop and enhance their professional expertise. Held and Galvez argue that urgent action is needed to ensure practitioners, advocates, and researchers can effectively and knowledgeably respond to the shifting needs of immigrant families and communities in uncertain times.