FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — President-elect Donald Trump’s core campaign promise was a crackdown on immigration, starting with mass deportations on his first day in office. At this point, it has not yet released details or cost estimates. Currently, the American Immigration Council estimates that one-time mass deportations will cost at least $315 billion. With so much uncertainty, the wait is worrying for an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants and their families living in the United States.

“It’s heartbreaking because we have to look at the human impact of what’s happening,” says Matias Bernal, executive director of the Education Leadership Foundation.

Matias Bernal is a DACA recipient and executive director of the Fresno-based Education Leadership Foundation. He says the nonprofit is seeing a significant increase in the number of people seeking its immigration services.

“Normally we see 20 to 30 people arrive, and after the elections, next Wednesday, we saw about 75 people arrive,” Bernal says.

Immigrant advocates and their allies say they are already mobilizing, and Bernal says more plans are in the works.

“Having some sort of hotline or place that people can turn to with their immediate needs in the event of a potential raid or immigration into the Central Valley,” Bernal says.

Family separation is the number one concern. The man Mr. Trump tapped for border czar, Thomas Homan, said this on 60 Minutes.

“Journalist: Is there a way to carry out mass evictions without separating families? Homan responds: Of course there is. Families can be deported together.”

During his time running ICE, thousands of families were separated. Now, Homan says the criminals would be the first to leave.

“President Trump has been clear. Threats to public safety and national security are going to be a priority because they have to be the most dangerous in the country. So we’re going to prioritize those groups,” Homan said.

The president-elect said he would call on local law enforcement to keep his promise. However, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni says eviction is not their job and if they are tasked with helping, it would be a challenge due to limited resources.

“I don’t know how it would work if we were to reassign ourselves to such a detail, but my goals, as I said, are to provide public safety services and ensure that those who break the law and are criminals be held accountable,” Sheriff Zanoni said.

In 2020, during Trump’s final term, 47 undocumented criminals were transferred to ICE from the Fresno County Jail. In 2021, during Biden’s first year in office, 44 people were transferred, and last year, 39.

Sheriff Zanoni says he doesn’t anticipate much impact on the status quo for him or his deputies.

“I know that our population here, made up of immigrants and people who may be living here illegally, are not all involved in criminal activity, in fact, very few of them,” Sheriff Zanoni says.

Zanoni says his deputies serve anyone, regardless of status, and no one should be afraid to call them for help.

Immigration lawyers say they are the best line of defense for undocumented immigrants.

“Hearing it from your friends, from your family, from notaries is not the same as getting an individualized consultation for your specific situation,” says Luis Virgen, immigration lawyer at Education. & Leadership Foundation.

But lawyers say they already don’t have enough staff to handle the incoming caseload.

“The Central Valley is ready to take on cases and has been preparing for a few years, but we are nowhere near ready to see the number of cases that are coming in,” Virgen says.

Education & Leadership Foundation hosts several workshops to inform families of their rights and options. The link is here.

Immigrant service providers are fading red cards outlining the rights of undocumented immigrants. The Immigrant Legal Recours Center website offers them in several different languages.

For updates, follow Brisa Colon on Facebook, Twitter And Instagram.