Donald Trump has delivered a sweeping immigration overhaul that he has promised to begin on the first day of his presidency, including mass deportations and a major crackdown on illegal border crossings. Arizona could find itself on the front lines of those moves, and the sharply divided state is grappling with what that might mean.

In the Villalobos family home in Phoenix, three generations of members chatted with friends about Donald Trump’s decisive election victory.

Over Latin jazz and a dinner of empanadas, beans and rice, the group — mostly women — was close to tears.

“We really had hope for humanity and I feel like we’ve been let down,” said Monica Villalobos, 45. “It’s changing the way we think about ourselves in the Latino community.”

Her family made America their home after immigrating from Jalisco, Mexico. They worry that the families of friends and relatives could be torn apart by deportations.

Trump has promised the largest mass deportations of migrants in US history and pledged to seal the border and stop the “migrant invasion”. He also promises to hire 10,000 Border Patrol agents and says he will ask Congress to give all agents a 10.% pay raise.

His message is one that resonates with many voters here, who consistently rank immigration and border security as top concerns. Many detail the impact of illegal migration, but voters are divided on how to handle it.

Arizona was, for a time, a Republican stronghold. Trump was the first to lose here in more than 20 years, when Joe Biden emerged victorious in 2020. The 2024 result is still too close to call — a testament to how divided residents are.

However, voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a Republican-backed measure that gives sheriffs, police and state law enforcement authorities the authority to enforce federal immigration laws and arrest those who cross the border illegally. It has faced opposition from Democratic and Latino groups, who say it could lead to racial profiling.

There are an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants in the US, and many have lived and worked here for decades. When discussing Trump’s mass deportation proposals, Ms Villalobos’ niece, 19-year-old university student Alexandra de Leon, said they were “terrifying”.

“It’s your neighbors, the people you see in the grocery store, your teachers, your friend’s parents,” she said. “Knowing that these people are in danger and that their families could be torn apart at any moment … it’s heartbreaking.”

One of the main stories of election night was the extent to which Trump garnered huge support from Latino voters across the country. He saw a whopping 14 percentage point increase compared to the 2020 election, according to exit polls.

One of those advocates is Jorge Gonzalez, Sr., who moved his family to Arizona from Mexico 20 years ago in hopes of building a more prosperous future. Now the proud owner of an auto body shop in Phoenix, he believes Trump’s policies will help him as a business owner.

“I don’t like him as a person, but as a politician, I like how he ran the economy. A lot of Latinos probably think he ran the country better,” he said.

“It has allowed a large number of undocumented workers to come here and get work visas. I have not seen any family separation,” he added. “We’ve seen it integrate and allow undocumented immigrants to live and work here in a regulated way.”

Across the yard, Jorge’s son, Jorge Jr, was under a car, examining brake pads and checking an engine.

As he exchanged the keys, he said Trump has the right tools to be a successful president.

“I don’t like his attitude. His mouth gets the better of him a lot of times, but when you’re in a position of power or leadership, you have to be able to be a little tough,” he said.

Asked about the mass, militarized deportations Trump campaigned on in his home state, Jorge Jr laughed.

“It’s impossible!” he said, noting the millions of undocumented immigrants in the US. “You’re going to need a lot of resources, planes, food, detention centers, police, more ICE officers, so I don’t think it’s going to be feasible.”

If the Trump administration were to go ahead with the mass deportations, would likely face a number of challenges. Experts are wary that federal immigration authorities do not have adequate staffing to track migrants or the ability to hold them until a court date.

“You learn to develop a thick skin, especially coming from where we come from,” said Jorge Jr. “We don’t pay attention to a lot of things people say, because we know they’re just words and there’s a long gap between things on the what we say and what we actually do.”

Others are excited to see Trump’s proposals come to fruition.

Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County – a conservative area southeast of Phoenix – said Trump winning the White House would deter migrants.

“Once you start holding people accountable, securing the border, you’re going to start seeing a lot of these people come back on their own. And then we can start going after criminals, people who cause problems in communities.”

But how Trump’s policies will actually work on the ground is still anyone’s guess.

“I don’t think anybody has the resources at this point,” Sheriff Lamb said. “But the people he picks will really have to figure out what he looks like.”