More than one third of the Hispanics in the United States of America say that they personally know someone who has been through the deportation proceedings there, highlighting the personal flavor that the immigration debate has taken for one of the fastest-growing demographic segments in the world today.

According to the latest survey taken on around 1000 Hispanics who gave in their opinions about health care, immigration and discrimination it was found that most Latinos knew someone who was in the country illegally – 36 per cent of Latinos stated that they knew of someone who faced deportation. Nearly half of the surveyed said they constantly worry about a friend or family member being deported, and they also said that President Obama’s recent immigration actions have done little to bring down that fear. In fact more than 2 percent stated that they worried even more now than before, after President Barack Obama’s announcement in the month of November 2014 that was designed to rejig deportation policies.

The surveyed also included around 13 percent of Hispanics who said that they avoided talking to the police because they did not want to be hassled around their status, and around 10 per cent who stated that they were reluctant to get a driver’s license or go to an airport. Another 9 per cent stated that they avoided doctors’ visits and 7 per cent stated that they avoided meeting up with school authorities.