COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) — A major concern is brewing across the country as President-elect Donald Trump has made illegal immigration his priority. If he follows through, it could pave the way for mass deportations and stricter immigration policies.

There are approximately 316,000 immigrants in South Carolina.

One of them is local Marine Corps veteran Steven Diaz, who was born in Mexico and came to America with his parents.

“They came here with just a suitcase and wanted to give us a better life,” Diaz said. “My parents wanted to start a Hispanic church here in Colombia, and so they were able to set up this green card or this resident alien program.”

Many people like Diaz came to America to achieve the “American dream” and in hopes of becoming citizens. He served in the United States Marine Corps and received a Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon after being injured in combat in Iraq.

“You follow your dream and your passion for what you want to do, you get in line, you get your citizenship and it’s such a great feeling to be able to take the oath of office,” Diaz said.

However, for some immigrants, that dream seems far away, with an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. President-elect Trump plans to crack down on undocumented immigrants with criminal records, but that’s sparking fear even among those who aren’t criminals.

“Being undocumented does not mean that they do not work, that they do not pay taxes, that they do not support themselves 100%, it means that they do not have the document that gives them a status legal,” said Sue Berkowitz, the founder. , Appleseed Legal Justice Center of South Carolina.

Berkowitz shared his main concern regarding mixed legal status families here in the Palmetto State.

“It could be that some are naturalized or have their green card, some are not, what that means for families in check who may have this mixed status, some family members may be at risk of being deported,” a Berkowitz said.

She also explained that legal aid for immigrants is expensive. There are no programs in the Midlands providing financial assistance to undocumented immigrants.

Berkowitz said many undocumented people are afraid right now and encourages them to make a plan.

“They may want to think about someone they could entrust their children to if they are no longer able to stay in this country, if they determine if they have resources here, how they can make sure that their children have access to everyone. that,” Berkowitz said. “We have a lot of things we need to work on, and there are a lot of practical things.”

Meanwhile, Diaz told us the system can work, but it just takes patience.

“There will be a way for people to come here and become citizens and pursue that American dream and while that means maybe having to go back to their home country and wait, it’s still a process to be able to do things legally ” Diaz said. .