Immigration activists reacting to Trump's plan to increase deportations, arrests

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- President Donald Trump said ICE will soon begin making arrests and removing people living here illegally.

"When people come into our country and they come here illegally they have to go out," said Trump.

He said enforcement will begin next week but wasn't specific about what would happen.

His tweet said this will "begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in."

Karla Navarrete from CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles says "it sounds like it's an empty threat but all the operations have been in motion to have raids and identify people with prior deportations. But we are still prepared at the local level so people can be prepared for any possible operation."

There are reports the effort will focus on the more than 1 million people who have been issued final deportation orders by federal judges but are still in the country.

Trump says he wants to stop the flow of Central American migrants crossing the southern border. Immigration attorneys says people under threat of deportation still have legal rights.

"Maybe they're on appeal process," Navarrete said. "We have to remember that most people who have lost their case are on appeal so there is a deportation order with an appeal pending so it depends on if he's going to enforce that. Of course if there are people hiding and they have an order they are going to try and enforce."