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.
Matthew Bowler
San Diego and Imperial County leaders each made their case for state bond money Tuesday to the State Water Resources Control Board.
MORE STORIES
-
The arrest happened Wednesday morning outside Camarena Elementary School. It’s one of the first known enforcement actions in San Diego County’s second-largest city, according to city officials. -
Around a dozen local veterans showed up to San Diego federal immigration court Wednesday to support a former Afghan journalist at his hearing. -
Since last year about a half-dozen states have attempted to pass laws that would allow schools to charge tuition to noncitizens. None passed, but advocates said they plan to keep trying. -
The study from UC Merced shows that the decline in labor participation during a week of aggressive enforcement was similar to the first month of the Great Recession. -
The Trump administration has reversed a rule that allowed undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as kids to buy health insurance on Affordable Care Act marketplaces. -
For the third year in a row, California’s plan to expand food assistance to undocumented adults 55 and older faced the risk of delay, this time through a budget clause that could have indefinitely stalled the rollout. -
In Santa Rosa, a mother of six children says she’s struggling to pay the rent following her husband’s deportation — but fears eviction if she even requests to move into a smaller place from her landlord. -
The San Diego County Office of Education’s Migrant Education Program serves nearly 3,000 young people in San Diego and Orange Counties. It’s waiting on more than $5 million in federal funding. -
The pair texted “a secret emoji-based code” to let Mexican traffickers know which inspection lanes they were manning at the Tecate and Otay Mesa border crossings, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. -
The U.S. Department of Education says adult students without legal status are now banned from certain courses. Teens at public K-12 districts could see changes too.
Sign up for our newsletters!
Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS.
- In Escondido, a school board member changes her name but not her politics
- Community reacts after school board member comes out as transgender
- SCUBA divers volunteer at San Diego's Birch Aquarium
- San Diego City Council approves parking fees in Balboa Park
- San Diego Unified is getting rid of some K-8 middle schools