In early November, a nanny in a major U.S. city sent a last-minute text to the family she works for, letting them know she couldn't come to work that day.
Her brother had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"I was with my sister-in-law and my nephew," recalls the nanny, who asked USA TODAY to withhold her name, citing fears of putting more of her family members at risk. "They were destroyed."
The mother of the baby she nannies replied, questioning her citizenship. The nanny knew her boss's politics, even though they'd never discussed it. She'd seen the family wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats in public, and spotted the pro-President Donald Trump flags inside their home.
While the nanny was born in the United States, several of her family members were not. Her brother, who has since been deported to Mexico, lived in America since he was an elementary schooler, she says, and as far as she knows has no criminal record. "He's the hardest working man I know," she adds.
