'Clerk-on-Wheels' offers vital records services as demand grows after Trump's immigration policies

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- In the wake of President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration, it appears some families with mixed citizenship status are getting their crucial documents in line just in case of separation.

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder Office is seeing an increase in document requests. And now, to help, the records office is hitting the road. The "Clerk-on-Wheels" is the latest tool the office has to help facilitate the process of getting vital records.

O.C. Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen said he was excited to bring the van and services to the community. Birth and death certificates and marriage licenses were just some of the documents the Clerk-Recorder-on-Wheels can process remotely across the county.

The van's next mobile event and ribbon cutting was scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at Magnolia High School in Anaheim.

Nguyen said the new service would help address an increased demand for records.

"It's been very busy at all our locations in Laguna Hills, Anaheim and here in Santa Ana," he said.

According to the clerk's office, this year, from January through the third week of April, there was a nearly 30% jump in passports requested, compared to the same period in 2024. And an increase of almost 20% in birth certificate requests.

Nguyen told Eyewitness News he didn't know the cause behind the increased demand, but the Network Coordinator with the O.C. Rapid Response Network, Sandra De Anda, said she has heard from more callers seeking information on passports and birth certificates.

"Southeast Asian communities, the Meena community, Latino communities, even eastern European communities, just the wide spectrum of the immigrant and refugee experience here in Orange County," De Anda said.

Most are O.C. families with mixed immigration status, looking to build their preparedness plan and have crucial documents in line, in case of separation.

"To have a secure plan in case, you know, one of the guardians experiences deportation or detainment," De Anda said.

Other emergencies include scenarios such as natural disasters, all requiring increased access to vital records.

"If there's an emergency in Orange County, we'll be able to take the van and we'll be able to actually print their birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, or real property documents immediately for the people in Orange County," Nguyen said.

The "Clerk-On-Wheels" is cash-free, so Nguyen wanted to remind people to be prepared with other forms of payment.