This post was originally published on France24
If Donald Trump is elected and follows through with a campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, it could not only upend the lives of the 11 million people who according to the US Census Bureau are living in the United States without authorisation — it could devastate numerous US families. More than 22 million people live in a US household where at least one occupant is in the country without authorisation, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of 2022 Census data. That represents nearly 5% of households across the US and 5.5% in Arizona, a battleground state where the Latino vote could be key. The issue of immigration has been a cornerstone of Donald Trump’s platform. He remains fixated on the issue, criticising the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border as an existential threat to American society as Election Day nears.