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.
Kori Suzuki for KPBS / California Local
California lawmakers are trying to make local government meetings more open to non-English speakers. The bill could reduce long-standing barriers to the democratic process in Imperial County.
MORE STORIES
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The Laken Riley Act would make it easier for federal immigration officials to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with specific crimes. -
The Trump administration has ended use of the border app called CBP One that allowed nearly 1 million people to legally enter the United States. -
The memo rescinds a Biden administration guideline that created "protected areas" consisting of places where "children gather, disaster or emergency relief sites, and social services establishments." -
A group of 18 state attorneys general signed on to a lawsuit filed Tuesday seeking to block the administration's move, describing it as unconstitutional. -
Trump’s roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of a campaign promise. Attorneys general in 18 states sued Tuesday to block the order. -
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city will defend residents "whether you're undocumented, whether you are seeking asylum or whether you're seeking a good paying job." -
Under the Biden administration, migrants from embattled countries could apply for entry for humanitarian reasons, without having to attempt to cross into the U.S. illegally. -
President Donald Trump wants to deport undocumented immigrants arrested on suspicion of various crimes. That could put sheriffs overseeing California jails in conflict with the state’s sanctuary law. -
The policy, which was created and implemented during the first Trump administration in 2019, resulted in tens of thousands of migrants waiting for extended periods in Mexico. -
Trump wants to reinterpret the phrasing of the 14th Amendment to mean that the federal government would not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status.
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