the human toll
real people. real stories. real impact.
Since January 2025, the US has experienced rapid social, economic, and policy changes. These changes impact all of us—in big or small ways.
The Human Toll shares the anonymous stories of people impacted by these changes. The aim is to provide a space to vent for those who are struggling, a record of what people are experiencing, an opportunity for empathy and connection, and a resource to guide those who are trying to help.
These stories were collected as part of a research study conducted by Dr. Jessica Calarco, which was approved by the University of Wisconsin-Madison under IRB protocol #2025-1096. For privacy reasons, photos are stock images and do not necessarily depict participants in this study.
a sense of fear
“As an immigrant, who is a naturalized citizen, I am hypervigilant due to the ICE raids and invasion of privacy. The protections that were previously offered are not there anymore. I grew up in dictatorship and I know the signs.”
— Psychotherapist, Pennsylvania
“I feel really hopeless about the future… Specifically food safety. Air quality. Medical and scientific research. Health care and education. Salaries: cost of living ratio. The decimation of the middle class. Gun violence.”
— Professor, New York
“I’m scared about what’s going on. I’m scared to be more outwardly queer than I already am.”
— Retail Worker, California
“My partner is foreign; we're talking about relocating because him getting deported or detained—even though he is here legally!—feels like a possibility. Everything feels uncertain; people are getting laid off at my job, surveillance feels like its getting stricter, I have some friends packing up and leaving if they can. I hate the uncertainty, and I hate the feeling in the pit of my stomach that they want us scared, giving in, and unable to act.”
— Military Analyst, Washington, DC
“ Both of us have very limited employment ability, closer to disabled…. The fear of losing insurance and SS [Social Security] is intense. The stress adding to both of our mental health burdens.”
— Unemployed for Health Reasons, Missouri
a sense of loss
“I am a federal contractor and the office I support was shutdown.…. My company has since moved me to a different agency where I don’t know how to do the work and am largely unfamiliar with the mission. Everything is framed through the lens of “illegal immigration,” even though our jobs have nothing to do with immigration, legal or not. My career aspirations have sputtered out.”
— Federal Contractor
“My wife worked at USAID as a contractor…. We had started to look at houses in the area and were under contract to buy one. She was fired on January 29th. She is still looking for work six months later. Her entire field basically no longer exists, so she is trying to pivot to the private sector. She already has one masters, which she made it through without debt, the thought of maybe having to do another one (under our new, terrible student loan system) is crushing. We pulled out from the house, which we were still (thank GOD) in the contingency period for. .”
— Attorney, Washington, DC
“I'm a professor in a red state that passed legislation at the last moment that directly impacts my job. My degree program is under threat. If it is eliminated, the law dictates that all associated expenses must be eliminated. Will I have a job? My syllabi also must be publicly available so that anyone can harass me based on what I teach.”
— Professor, Indiana
“I was forced into retirement… and as a supervisor, I was made to threaten my dedicated, talented employees with loss of their jobs if they didn't move across the country…. I could no longer do my job as a DoD [Department of Defense] scientist because all the relevant work had been canceled. I would be doing work that I objected to, supporting the DHS [Department of Homeland Security] border security mission.”
— Retired Engineer, Washington, DC
a sense of helplessness
“[I’m worried about the] Downfall and slow decay of democracy. Elections, assuming we will still be able to vote.”
— Teacher, Texas
“The world feels like it is completely out of control and it’s made it hard to understand how compassion and intellect have fallen so quickly in our country”
— Nonprofit Director, Wisconsin
“I haven't been able to buy a home because of my student loan debt and now I'm priced fully out of the market.”
— Professor, Missouri
“I feel terrified and impotent at the same time. I am a mother of a trans teen and a mental health therapist whom primarily works with the LGBTQ community and am queer myself. I feel like we are moving towards a real life version of The Handmaids Tale, which would be funny if it weren’t actually outlined in truth in Project 2025. It feels like those who already had hate and bigotry for marginalized groups got the green light to spew their hate overtly and very publicly.”
— Social Worker, Wisconsin
a sense of disappointment
“We have lost everything. Civility, empathy, caring for people and their lives is out the window, devolving into the worst elements of human character.”
— Retired, Wisconsin
“The open disdain that is shown for the suffering of others is a stain on this country's already bloody and brutal past…. This has shown up in my professional capacity as a nurse with many of my immigrant patients being visibly concerned about coming to appointments.”
— Nurse, California
“I think the US needed a lot of the changes that are happening. I’m happy to see [our leaders]… standing up and for our country and putting citizens first. I’m not happy about the continuing inflation on grocery prices.”
— Homemaker, Texas
“[I would tell the people responsible,] Attacking education as you have been doing is extremely damaging to our country. If you had truly wanted to improve outcomes for students, you could have start by asking the people working in agencies and the people they are meant to serve for ideas.”
— Research Manager, Maryland
a sense of anger
“I feel incredibly angry and that I’ve been betrayed by my country. I’m angry because of the damage the new administration has done to me personally (I was a federal employee and lost my job. Same story for my spouse.) And I’m angry because the damage that the administration is now doing was so clearly advertised beforehand. Science is being erased, law now applies only when it suits MAGA interests, and fact is no longer reality. Masked agents are literally kidnapping people off of the streets. The institutions that were supposed to protect us from this situation have already failed or are failing. People are overwhelmed and despondent. Half the country gloats while the other half can’t be bothered to attend a protest.”
— Health Researcher, New York
“If half of the things that the Trump administration have been doing occurred overseas, we would use it as an excuse to invade. America gave ignorant, greedy, racists a seat at the table and they gobbled everything up and took a shit on whatever is left.”
— Project Manager, California
“I am also just so, so filled with rage at the people who did this and the democratic leaders who will not fight a single fucking thing…. [I would tell the people responsible] You're all guilty of treason and god willing will spend the rest of your lives in jail. You have attacked the very foundations of our country and it is disgusting that you wrap yourselves in a flag that is antithetical to everything you stand for.”
— Attorney, Washington, DC
hope for change
“[It gives me to hope to see] The large numbers of people pushing back. Seeing so many "regular" people engaged in protests like the Tesla Takedowns and No Kings movements gives me hope that we can build a better society and a better world. I also know that most of us didn't want what is happening to happen - even those who voted for it. So, I take comfort in knowing that there is real opposition.”
— Professor, Indiana
“[It gives me hope] That I am not alone in my beliefs, that we have the numbers, just need to figure out how to have power in those numbers to upend this bullshit.”
— Nonprofit Director, Wisconsin
““[It gives me hope to see] Young people becoming active. I’m so inspired to see their dedication, intelligence and refusal to be cowed.”
— Social Worker, Wisconsin
the human toll
real people. real stories. real impact.
