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Fear tied to the nation’s political climate is disrupting school attendance, shopping trips and even churchgoing among some Hispanic families in Northern Virginia, according to longtime youth mentor Alvaro Alacon.

Alacon, a Fairfax City resident, has worked with Arlington youth for years, including through the Second Chance program. The initiative allows students found with drugs or alcohol to attend a specialized program instead of being suspended.

His company, Impel, also provides mentoring, after-school activities and life-skills guidance for Arlington youth and their parents. That work has given him a close view of the pressures facing local families.

Alacon said some families who once visited several stores to find the lowest grocery prices are now limiting trips outside the home. In households with mixed immigration statuses, one family member with a green card may shop alone while relatives without legal status stay home.

Those precautions can make it harder for families already struggling with high prices and tight budgets, he said.

The anxiety has also reached churches and schools. Alacon said rumors about immigration arrests at those locations have frightened some residents, while incomplete or misleading information circulating through Hispanic media outlets has added to the confusion.

Reports that programs such as free school lunches and Head Start had been canceled caused particular alarm, he said. Parents who rely on those services worried immediately about how they would feed or care for their children, even when the proposed changes were still subject to a longer process and had not taken effect.

For some parents and children, schools once viewed as safe places are now associated with imagined scenes of immigration officers entering classrooms. Alacon said that fear has given students another reason to miss school, adding to existing attendance problems.

He also believes many immigrants do not understand their rights when approached by federal immigration officers. Uniforms, radios and the presence of enforcement teams can make residents feel intimidated and obligated to cooperate, he said.

Community organizations and churches are trying to close that information gap by distributing “Know Your Rights” cards and other guidance. But those efforts often reach only people who already have connections to established groups.

Many others remain isolated or suspicious that offers of help come with hidden conditions, Alacon said. In his experience, the most effective outreach comes through trusted friends and neighbors who can describe a positive experience firsthand.