Undocumented immigrants and their California families braced for the worst — and many told CalMatters they would go underground — as newly sworn-in President Donald Trump began issuing executive orders to enable what he promises will be the most massive deportation in U.S. history.

“It’s draining my energy a lot, thinking of what’s going to happen and not knowing exactly what’s going to happen with me and my family and my daughters,” said Frank, a resident of northeastern Los Angeles who asked to be identified only by his first name because of his ongoing immigration case.

Advocates reported hearing from parents who were considering keeping their children home from school this week. Some neighbors said they will dispatch their children to shop for groceries and run errands, so they can mostly stay inside the house.

“I plan to just stay very local, no unnecessary trips, and thank God my work is close to my house,” said Frank, who is a restaurant cook and came to this country without federal authorization from El Salvador about 20 years ago.

Kathleen, his wife of seven years and a U.S. citizen, called the situation “terrifying” and said she was worried about him and “what I would be left to deal with and having to take care of our kids on my own.”

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Trump Says He’ll Send Troops to the Border

In his inaugural speech, President Trump previewed a planned series of executive orders that he began rolling out later in the day. Monday evening, he officially declared a national emergency at the southern border that “requires use of the Armed Forces” — a move for which he can expect to face legal hurdles.

“All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump continued in his inaugural address, without providing details yet about how he could miraculously end all illegal entry. His tally of noncitizens with criminal convictions is far higher than that reported by federal immigration authorities.

The Republican president also said he planned to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy in place during his first term, which forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court hearings to present their immigration cases.

“I will end the practice of ‘catch and release,’ and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country,” he continued.

President’s Order Ends Birthright Citizenship

As expected, he issued an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks …” he said.

And he signed yet another order to revoke birthright citizenship — the right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing citizenship to anyone born in the country or its territories regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Trump wants the Supreme Court to reinterpret the provision. A legal challenge is a certainty.

San Diego Protests

By late afternoon on the West Coast, several hundred protesters began marching from San Diego’s Balboa Park to the Hall of Justice, chanting, “When immigrant lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

“I’m worried about migrant people because this will be really hard for the next four years. It was before too, when Trump had power the last time. It was really crazy for us right there on the border, and we expect the same thing right now or worse,” said Alejandro Ortigoza, 50, the leader of Armadillos Busqueda y Rescate, a group that goes out into the desert to search for the remains of missing migrants.

Yet even as the new president was declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, people whose lives straddle it mostly carried on with business as usual.

Lighter than normal foot traffic continued through the “pedestrian east” crossing at San Ysidro as people calmly headed for the trolley under the familiar noise of a helicopter circling above.

In the Home Depot parking lot in Imperial Beach, day laborers gathered as they usually do, seeking odd jobs helping San Diegans move or clean up their lawns. They said they cross the border every day from their homes in Tijuana and didn’t expect  Trump’s executive orders would heavily affect them. Still, several planned to carry documents proving they are naturalized U.S. citizens everywhere they go.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Juan, a 60-year-old from Sinaloa, Mexico, and a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in Tijuana and crosses the border daily to work. “It’s not convenient for the U.S., nor for Mexico, to close the border. It won’t benefit either country.”

“I think Trump is very racist….and he’s not right in the head,” he added.

Juan declined to give his last name out of fear of retaliation or harassment for sharing his negative opinion about the president. He keeps proof of his legal status ready. “I always bring my certification, saying I’m naturalized everywhere I go. I have it in my backpack always.”

About the Author

Wendy Fry is an Emmy-winning multimedia investigative journalist who reports on poverty and inequality for the California Divide team. Based in San Diego and Mexico, Wendy has been covering the California border region for more than 15 years and covers immigration, reparations, and issues affecting San Diego-area families.

About CalMatters

CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California policy and politics.