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.
San Diego County sued the federal government and private prison company CoreCivic earlier this year after a coalition of lawmakers — including County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre — were blocked from inspecting the facility.
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After she requested records of the events, including SDPD body-worn camera footage and 911 call logs, the city declined to release some records by claiming they were exempt from public disclosure because they are records of law enforcement investigations, the lawsuit states. -
At the University of San Diego School of Law’s immigration clinics, students work on real-time immigration cases — helping people become citizens, apply for green cards, win asylum cases and even fight deportations. -
City leaders say police are being asked to choose whether to follow state or federal law. -
Deputy Mayor Cesar Fernandez said the report will include data on police encounters with federal agents for all of 2025. -
The board authorized county officials to negotiate with the Mexican Consulate on legal services for those who face removal from the United States for being here illegally. -
Leaders in San Diego and Imperial counties have been making their case for why their regions need the state funding. -
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the law, arguing that it would threaten the safety of officers who are facing harassment, doxing, and violence and that it violated the constitution because the state is directly regulating the federal government. -
Campaign finance records show the Democratic member of Congress representing San Diego’s South Bay has received over $200,000 from the pro-Israel group in recent election cycles. But he denies ever receiving a penny. -
The first seizure was on April 7, when officers referred a 51-year-old Mexican national driving a Toyota Prius for a secondary inspection. During the inspection, a CBP canine team alerted to the vehicle, and agents allegedly found 124 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $2.4 million in 44 packages concealed in the doors, back seat and rear quarter panels of the car. -
The Atlanta immigration court in Georgia reopened her case and ordered her to appear in person within days of receiving the notice despite her case being administratively closed in 2014. Valladares said she was not provided a reason for her case being reopened.
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