A new report from Suffolk's Welfare to Work Commission says federal immigration policies are having a negative impact on some residents.

The findings include a decrease in the number of women reporting cases of domestic violence and an increase in the number of immigrants afraid to report crime to local police.

"Parents of children who are citizens, born in the United States, are not renewing basic benefits like food stamps, and that they're even afraid to go into local food pantries," says Richard Koubek, chair of the Welfare to Work Commission. "We were told that immigrants are not securing health care through programs...like Medicaid or Child Health Plus."

The report does acknowledge that local governments are limited in what they can do regarding federal immigration policies. However, it does provide the Suffolk Legislature with a list of dozens of local agencies that can help undocumented immigrants.

News 12 spoke with Noelle Campbell, the director of the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch. She shared a story of a mother who was too afraid to apply for food stamps, so she went to an emergency pantry instead. She spoke of another woman who was having a medical emergency and was too afraid to call for an ambulance.