How many U.S. families could be affected by Trump's vows to do mass deportations?

President elect Donald Trump is sticking to his promise to conduct “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” which could tear apart millions of families. About 5.6 million U.S. households – or 1 in 25 – include undocumented immigrants according to Pew Research Center data. 

Trump has vowed to use the National Guard, local police, and even the military to remove undocumented immigrants, whom he describes as part of an "invasion." However, most undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for an average of 16 years, many deeply integrated into their communities.

Key figures:

• 20 million people live in mixed-status households, including 10.3 million undocumented immigrants and 9.7 million others who are either citizens or have another form of permission to live in the U.S. 

• The average undocumented immigrant has lived in the U.S. for 16 years, though this varies by state. In California, the average is 20.3 years.

• 825,000 undocumented children under 17 live in the U.S.

• Over 3.4 million undocumented immigrants have U.S.-born children.

Mass deportations would separate families, leaving millions of U.S.-born children and other relatives behind. Despite widespread public support for legalization, no significant reform has passed since 1986 under President Reagan.

Rosa Sanchez, a DACA recipient living in Arizona with her American citizen husband and children, fears for her family’s future under Trump’s plan. Sanchez, a mother of six, has lived in the U.S. for 23 years and helps families with special needs through a nonprofit she founded. Deportation, she says, “is not an option” for her family.