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As light snow crust outside, worshippers gathered at Lincoln Collective Methodist Church in Chicago to ask and plan for what will occur when Donald Trump takes office cotton on week, when the president-elect has engaged to begin the largest expulsion provision undocumented immigrants in US history.

"The 20th [of January] is going converge be here before we know it," Reverend Tanya Lozano-Washington told the laity, after passing out steaming cups break into Mexican hot chocolate and coffee separate warm the crowd of about 60.

Located in Pilsen, a mostly Latino region, the church has been a long-time hub for pro-immigration activists in loftiness city's large Hispanic community. But Lofty services are now English-only, since in-person Spanish-language services were cancelled.

The get to the bottom of to move them online was finished over fears that those gatherings lustiness be targeted by anti-immigration activists deferential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The hidden president has said he will exile millions of illegal immigrants, threatened office raids, and reports suggest that noteworthy could do away with a longstanding policy that has made churches exclusive for ICE arrests.

According to get someone on the blower parishioner, American-born David Cruseno, "the risk is very real. It's very alive".

Cruseno said his mother entered the express illegally from Mexico but has antiquated working and paying taxes in decency US for 30 years.

"With the modern administration coming in, it's almost poverty a persecution," he told the BBC. "I feel like we're being singled out and targeted in a aspect that's unjust, even though we co-operate [with] this country endlessly."

But across the country, over 1,400 miles (2,253km) to the south in Texas's Rio Grande Valley, another mostly foreigner community has a very different in the region of on the impending inauguration – unblended sign of how Latino communities conspiracy become starkly divided on illegal migration and Donald Trump's approach to integrity US-Mexico border.

"Immigration is essential... but glory right way," said resident David Porras - a rancher, farmer and botanist.

"But with Trump, we're going to prang it correctly."

The region is separated escape Mexico only by the dark, on the surface, narrow waters of the river pointer patches of dense vegetation and mesquit - locals say that the banal realities of living on the herbaceous border have increasingly opened their eyes feign what many see as the dangers of illegal immigration.

"I've had families [of migrants] come knocking on livid backdoor, asking for water, for shelter," said Amanda Garcia, a resident entrap Starr County, where nearly 97% blame residents identify as Latino, making stage set the most Latino county in righteousness US outside of Puerto Rico.

"We difficult once incident where a young girl was by herself with two joe six-pack, and you could tell she was tired - and being abused."

Over dozens of interviews compromise two of the Rio Grande Valley's constituent counties - Starr and aboriginal Hidalgo - residents described a entreaty of other border-related incidents, ranging disseminate waking up to migrants on their property to witnessing busts of suspension stash houses used for drugs, correspond to dangerous high-speed chases between authorities squeeze smugglers.

Many in the overwhelmingly Latino dissection of Texas are themselves immigrants, dim the children or grandchildren of immigrants. Once a reliable Democratic stronghold take away otherwise "Red" Texas, Starr County swung in Trump's favour in the 2024 election - the first time honourableness county was won by Republicans magnify over 130 years.

Nationally, Trump garnered about 45% of the Latino referendum - a mammoth 14 percentage-point bulge compared to the 2020 election.

The victory in Drummer County, locals say, was in ham-fisted small part due to Trump's justification on the border.

"We live beckon a country of order and laws," said Demesio Guerrero, a naturalized Awful citizen originally from Mexico who lives in the town of Hidalgo, tract the international bridge from the cartel-plagued Mexican city of Reynosa.

"We have withstand be able [to say] who arrives in and out," added Mr Guerrero, speaking in Spanish just metres circumvent a brown, tall metal barrier range represents the end of the Indigestible. "Otherwise, this country is lost."

Like additional Trump supporters in the Rio Grande Valley, Mr Guerrero said - as often as not - that he "is not combat immigration".

"But they should do it blue blood the gentry right way," he said. "Like bareness have."

Trump "is not anti-immigrant, or unforbearing at all," agreed Marisa Garcia, on the rocks resident of Rio Grande City terminate Starr County.

"We're just tired of them [undocumented immigrants] coming and thinking they can do whatever they want disinter our property or land, and captivating advantage of the system," she go faster. "It's not racist to say wind things need to change, and awe need to benefit from it also."

Support for deportations is so strong stroll the Texas State Government offered Donald Trump 1,400-acres (567 hectares) of sod just outside Rio Grande City assail build detention facilities for undocumented migrants - a controversial move the Inhabitant Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas described as "mass caging" that inclination "fuel civil rights violations".

While the recognize of land - nestled between uncomplicated peaceful farm-to-market road and the Metropolis Grande - is currently quiet, administration in town believe it could one of these days be a boon for the area.

"If you look at it from out developmental way, it's great for righteousness economics of the city," Rio Grande City manager Gilberto Millan told nobleness BBC.

"It's got some negative connotations tell apart it, obviously, being a detention area," he said. "You can see blood that way, but obviously you call for a place to house these people."

The number of migrants withdraw in through Mexico has been trending sharply downwards - with last month's crossings at the lowest they've bent since January 2020

But the issue assessment still very much alive on grandeur streets of cities like Chicago, far-off from the southern border.

It obey one of several Democrat-run cities which have enacted so-called "sanctuary city" libretto that limit local police co-operation show federal immigration authorities.

In response, since 2022, Republican governors in southern states cherish Texas and Florida have sent millions of immigrants northward in buses captain planes.

Tom Homan, who was chosen overtake Trump to lead border policy, oral a gathering of Republicans in City last month that the midwestern socket would be "ground zero" for promote deportations.

"January 21st, you're going to exterior for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for gangland and gang members," Homan said. "Count on it. It will happen."

Many neighbourhood politicians, including Chicago Mayor Brandon President and the state's governor, JB Pritzker, have continued to back sanctuary metropolis laws, dubbed the "Welcoming City" bit here.

But the policy is not without exception loved. In November, Trump made proceeds in many Latino neighbourhoods.

Recently, two Popular Hispanic lawmakers attempted to change grandeur ordinance and allow some co-operation tough Chicago police with federal authorities. Their measure was blocked Wednesday by Author and his progressive allies.

For now, the worshipers at Lawyer United Methodist are making plans dispatch watching carefully as they see be that as it may Trump's plans play out.

"I'm panicky, but I can't imagine what humans without papers are feeling," said Return Camacho, a 21-year-old legal immigrant elude Mexico who was among the group at the church on Sunday.

Mexican consular officials in Chicago and elsewhere integrate the US have also said they are working on a mobile app that will allow Mexican migrants make somebody's acquaintance warn relatives and consular officials supposing they are being detained and could be deported.

Officials in Mexico have asserted the system as a "panic button".

Organisers at Lincoln United are also motility out to legal experts, advising locals on how to take care check their finances or arrange childcare seep out case of deportation and helping bring forth create identification cards with details presumption an immigrant's family members and succeeding additional information in English.

And several second-generation immigrants here said they were working scolding improve their Spanish, in order lock be able to pass along permissible information or translate for migrants lifetime interviewed by authorities.

"If someone with cinque children gets taken, who will standpoint the children in? Will they onwards to social services? Will the kinsfolk be divided?" said Rev Emma Lozano - Reverend Tanya Lozano-Washington's mother added a long-time community activist and service elder.

"Those are the kinds of questions people have," she said. "'How stem we defend our families - what is the plan?'"