With the White House pushing for mass deportations, fear and uncertainty are growing in the communities of San Diego and Imperial counties. Misinformation is everywhere, and knowing the law and your rights is crucial. Here are some resources to help you stay informed and prepared.
Resources
Everyone in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, has certain rights under the Constitution.
If ICE or the police approach you at your home, work or school, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. Here are some tips from the American Civil Liberties Union.
See more information at the ACLU’s website.
If ICE or the police approach you at your home, work or school, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. Here are some tips from the American Civil Liberties Union.
See more information at the ACLU’s website.
- What to do when the police or ICE arrive:
- Stay calm and keep the door closed. Opening the door does not give officers or agents permission to come inside, but it is safer to speak to them through the door.
- Ask if they are immigration agents and what they are there for.
- Ask the agent or officer to show you a badge or identification through the window or peephole.
- Ask if they have a warrant signed by a judge. If they say they do, ask them to slide it under the door or hold it up to a window so you can inspect it.
- Don’t lie or produce any false documents. Don’t sign anything without speaking with a lawyer first.
- Do not open your door unless ICE shows you a judicial search or arrest warrant naming a person in your residence and/or areas to be searched at your address. If police have such a warrant, they are legally allowed to enter the home of the person on the warrant if they believe that person is inside. But a warrant of removal/deportation (Form I-205) does not allow officers to enter a home without consent. If they don’t produce the appropriate warrant, keep the door closed. State: “I do not consent to your entry.”
- If agents force their way in, do not resist. If you wish to exercise your rights, state: “I do not consent to your entry or to your search of these premises. I am exercising my right to remain silent. I wish to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.”
- If you are on probation with a search condition, law enforcement is allowed to enter your home.
- What to do if you're arrested or detained
- If you are arrested by the police, you have the right to a government-appointed lawyer, and should ask for one immediately.
- If you are detained by ICE or Border Patrol, you have the right to hire a lawyer, but the government does not have to provide one for you. Ask for a list of free or low-cost alternatives.
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center's “red cards” can help people assert their rights in the instance that ICE agents go to their home or work. Print in English, Spanish and 17 other languages.
Reps. Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin say their offices have received complaints about detainees’ access to medical care and fresh food.
MORE STORIES
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The Supreme Court hears arguments over the order's fate Wednesday in a New Hampshire case. The 14th Amendment and federal law have been widely understood to make citizens of everyone born in the country, with narrow exceptions. -
Legislators approved an audit of three of the state’s federally-funded fusion centers, citing concerns about civil liberties and privacy. -
A new report from UC San Diego details the effects of this winter’s large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. -
The warden at a privately run immigrant detention center in San Diego County has authority to decide how to investigate rape reports there. A San Diego County supervisor wants to revisit the agreement giving that power to CoreCivic. -
Local leaders report already-strapped police departments racked up overtime bills in the millions while others report a multi-million dollar hit to business during the worst ICE surges. -
The Oklahoma Republican comes to the helm in the midst of a shutdown that has left some 100,000 of the department's more than a quarter-million employees working without pay. -
The Trump administration handed down a rule that would cut the minimum wage for immigrants with H-2A visas, including farm workers. -
ICE agents are expected to begin handling some security duty at select U.S. airports Monday amid an ongoing partial government shutdown that has sidelined many Transportation Security Administration officers, but there was no immediate indication any California airports would be involved in the effort. -
President Donald Trump’s decision to order federal immigration agents to U.S. airports to help with security is drawing concerns that their presence may escalate tensions among air travelers and screeners. -
San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre is calling on her fellow SANDAG board members to officially deny ICE agents access to the controversial ARJIS database.
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