SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, Calif. - In a small one-bedroom residence somewhere in the San Fernando Valley resides Isabela, her son Jose, and her turtle Paco.
Isabela is a Salvadorian native that came to the United States in 2005 through Texas. She is undocumented, so we changed her name and her relatives’ names.
But despite her legal status, Isabela tells us in Spanish, that she felt relief the moment she stepped onto American soil.
“When I crossed, I felt happy to have arrived, because I knew that there was work here and that I would be able to help my family,” she said.
But President Donald Trump’s threat of immigration raids in the last few weeks have replaced Isabella’s happiness with something else.
“I cried, I asked God that nothing bad would happen, I went to sleep at a friend’s house and didn’t show up to work,” said Isabella.
Fear now has a place at the table.
She rarely speaks about it with her son, letting silence do all the talking.
Jose, who is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., is terrified over what might happen to his mother:
“I’m really scared that they will do something to my mom,” said Jose.
Scared because his mom has a final order of deportation. That’s because when Isabella came into the U.S. she was given a notice to appear in court and released on her own recognizance. She didn’t think she had a shot at staying here legally, so she skipped her court date and disappeared.
“I didn’t think it was that important, I’m realizing now that it was really important,” said Isabella.
Her order of removal means that short of immigration reform, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this family.
Instead, drapes cover their windows; she lives on borrowed time, sneaking to and from work, a ghost among the living.
I ask her if she still loves this country, if she still celebrates the 4th of July…
She tells me that in previous years…
“We would go to see fireworks in the park, but today we can’t go out because of fear.”
This year, she’ll celebrate the 4th from home, while she waits for her own Independence Day.