Finally, 85 percent of immigrant families have mixed immigration status – 75 percent of children in immigrant families are U.S. citizens and more than 3 million children have undocumented parents.
This demographic difference is important because the prevalence of mixed immigration status families means that when laws, like those passed in 1996, draw sharp distinctions between citizens and non-citizens, members of the same family are treated differently
(e.g., loss of Medicaid, food stamps, health insurance and any general assistance programs).