Passport Centers Overwhelmed As Immigration Enforcement Ramps Up

MODESTO (CBS13) — As immigration enforcement ramps up, some passport centers in the region are overwhelmed with the number of applicants.

"It was a zoo; we couldn't park, there must've been at least 150 people out here, it was crazy," said Candy Scruggs.

Candy and her husband Jack say it's been a frustrating five days.

They say long lines have wrapped around the passport center in Modesto on Paradise Road for the last few weeks.

They even showed up one day almost two hours before the center opened, but were initially turned away.

"We stood in line, waited 2 hours and then finally they came out and gave us a ticket and said we can't take you today, and that was at 10:45 in the morning, 15 minutes after they opened, they still couldn't take us," said Candy.

Gina is getting a passport for her 11-year-old son and believes the sudden surge of people is directly tied to President Trump's executive orders on immigration enforcement.

"A lot of people are getting scared. They get scared that if they get separated, they can't take the kids," said Gina.

Gina is an undocumented immigrant that's been in the states for about 16 years.

"I pretty much came just to protect my son, if anything happens to me, he can go with me, anywhere I go," she said.

As immigration enforcement ramps up, some citizens appear to be wary and just want to make sure they're prepared.

"I think everybody's just getting their passports to make sure they have it in case anything happens."