The public is getting a clearer picture of how President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement his campaign promises regarding immigration.
In an interview aired Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Trump spoke with moderator Kristen Welker about how he intends to carry out plans for mass deportations.
Welker asked, "Is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years?"
Trump responded, "Well, I think you have to do it. And it’s a hard-- it's a very tough thing to do.”
"But you have to have—you know you have rules, regulations, laws, they came in illegally," Trump continued.
Trump also said that those deportations could possibly include deportations of American citizens along with their undocumented family members.
“I don’t want to be breaking up families,” Trump said. “So the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”
Jeremy Barousse, the director of policy and organizing at Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice & Empowerment in East San Jose, told NBC Bay Area, "deporting whole families is just cruel.”
Barousse watched Trump's "Meet the Press" interview and called his intended policies "disturbing."
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Amigos de Guadalupe and other Bay Area groups working with immigrants have been busy since the election trying to educate people about their rights before these policies have a chance to take effect.
Trump told Welker he would seek to repeal birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment in the Constitution. He said he would accomplish that through executive action.
It's a move that would likely be met with legal challenges.
"He would have a pretty uphill battle for that," Barousse said.
In California, state and local leaders are already taking action to assure immigrant communities of their safety.
At a rally in San Jose the day after the election, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said officers will protect the communities.
"Our officers will not detain, question, or arrest individuals solely for the purpose of determining whether they are undocumented."
This week, undocumented immigrants and advocates rallied at the State Capitol, calling on lawmakers to do everything they can to protect immigrants and their families.
"I'm worried about it because I do have family that’s undocumented as well as I have family that’s citizens here as well," said Jose Hernandez, who attended that rally in Sacramento.
Back in San Jose, Amigos de Guadalupe is busy speaking with immigrants in the community about their rights and helping them make family plans in the event that a family member is detained.
"We’re working together to make sure we have a solid plan like we did during the first Trump administration, to make sure our communities are informed, educated, and prepared," Barousse said.
Trump told Welker that he is willing to "work with the Democrats on a plan" to allow Dreamers -- those covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program -- to stay in the United States.
Barousse said he was surprised but encouraged to hear that.
"We want [Trump] to act on it and to work with Congress to get something done," he said.
