After undocumented parents are detained by immigration-enforcement operations raiding worksites, children are being left behind, a new report reveals.

Released Wednesday by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Urban Institute, the report found that for every two undocumented workers detained, one child is left behind. And, of the children left behind, two-thirds are U.S. citizens younger than 10.

Oklahoma is one of the latest states to enact tough immigration laws. The law, which takes effect today, makes it a felony to move or house undocumented immigrants and enables documented workers to sue their employers if they're displaced by undocumented workers, reports USA Today.

"That we are putting the youngest, most vulnerable members of our society at profound risk is something that must be taken into consideration in any policy decision," Janet Murguia, president and CEO of NCLR, said in a statement. "This report clearly demonstrates that it may be years before we know the full effect of the worksite raids on these children and the long-term costs to our society."

The nonpartisan Urban Institute studied three communities that were targeted in the past year by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who conducted large-scale worksite raids. The communities were Greeley, Colo., Grand Island, Neb., and New Bedford, Mass.

NCLR, which funded the study, reported that 912 people were arrested and 506 children were directly affected.

"The local governments and communities we studied did not have adequate resources to deal with children's needs in the aftermath of the raids," Randy Capps, a demographer with the Urban Institute, said in a statement. "At the same time, the federal government did not have in place policies and procedures that explicitly consider the protection of children."

As children's parents and guardians were carted off, schools, childcare providers and extended family were forced to provide for them. Following the raid, school districts made sure the children had family or guardians to go to.

And ICE did not make caring for the children left behind easy, according to the report.

"The lack of telephone access and the holding of many detainees outside their home states made it difficult for detainees to contact their families or other caregivers to arrange for childcare," the report stated.

Other findings:

• Most children remained with a second parent, but some were without both parents. In Grand Island, 17 percent of children affected lost both parents.
• Resources of extended family and friends were used quickly, and support form nonprofit immigrant-advocacy organizations generally lasted for three to four months.
• Some parents were detained for up to six months or longer.
• Children reported feeling abandoned or feared their parents' vulnerability and experienced depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
• For weeks following the raids, affected families hid in their homes and were reluctant to open their doors to visitors offering assistance.

NCLR and the Urban Institute's report recommend the following:

• ICE should assume that children will be affected whenever raids are planned and should develop a consistent policy for handling detained parents.
• Congress should provide oversight that ensures children are protected and should also consider providing resources to school systems and local agencies that respond to children's needs.
• Schools should make sure children have safe places to go should a raid occur during school hours.
• Social services should develop outreach strategies that assure parents and other guardians that it is safe to seek emergency assistance and support for children whose parents are being detained.

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