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.
Adriana Heldiz
/
CalMatters
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.
MORE STORIES
-
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. -
County officials released a report Saturday that found the average daily population at the center has increased by approximately 200% in recent years, and said the increase is raising public-health concerns. -
Life changed in an instant one morning in February for the Olivo family. Their father and brother were arrested by ICE agents. The following weeks were filled with fear, confusion and anger. -
Researchers say a program combining small loans, training and peer support helped female sex workers reduce health risks and gain financial stability. -
California Democrats introduced legislation to restore Medi-Cal for all income-qualifying residents of any age, including undocumented immigrants. Gov. Newsom scaled back that program because of state budget deficits. -
The Trump administration is not only arresting far more children, but they are being kept in the system longer. Research shows that any contact with the immigration enforcement system increases anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression in children. -
President Trump has fired his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and said Markwayne Mullin, a senator from Oklahoma, would replace her. -
The board set a 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline for DHS to respond to a request for inspection this Friday. That deadline came and went, so now the county will sue.
Sign up for our newsletters!
Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS.
- ICE agents coming to some airports as travelers experience security delays
- Unpaid TSA workers staff San Diego airport as paid ICE agents arrive at others
- Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to cut their pay
- Supreme Court sounds skeptical of late-arriving ballots, a Trump target
- Tallying up the cost of senior year of high school