Immigrant Rights Under a Trump Administration

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What Immigrant Families Should Do Now

Talk to an immigration services provider about your immigration options

Find immigration legal help on the Immigration Advocates Network’s national directory of free or
low- cost nonprofit immigration legal services providers at https://www.immigrationlawhelp.org

• If you have a green card, find out if you can become a U.S. citizen.

• If you are here on a visa, find out if you can get a green card.

• If you do not have immigration status, find out if you may be eligible to get a visa or work permit.

• If you have a criminal arrest or conviction, find out how it might affect your case, or if there is a way to erase it from your record.
   

Make a child care and family preparedness plan

• Make sure all information and emergency contacts are up to date at your children’s school(s) including who can and cannot pick up your children.

• Create a sheet of emergency numbers and contact information and a file of important documents so that you, your family or your emergency contact person can easily access them.

• Complete a caregiver’s authorization affidavit so another adult can care for your children temporarily (available in California).

• Designate and document someone you trust with Power of Attorney to make financial, legal or child care decisions in your absence. You can designate this person to care for your children; to make decisions for your children; to handle your finances; to manage business decisions; to pay your rent or mortgage; or to pay for your legal and other expenses.

• Register your child’s birth with your country’s government (for example, with your country’s consulate) if your child was born in the United States.
   

Figure out which documents you should and should not carry with you

• At all times, carry with you the telephone number of an immigration lawyer, advocate or nonprofit immigration legal services provider you will call in an emergency.

• If you have a valid work permit or green card, carry it with you at all times. If you do not have one, generally it is advisable to carry a municipal ID, state ID or driver’s license if it was issued in the United States and contains no information at all about your immigration status or your country of origin. Ask a local immigration advocate about what kind of documents are safe to carry in your area.

• Do not carry any documentation about your country of origin.

• Do not carry any false identity documents or false immigration documents.

• At all times, carry a red card to exercise your right to remain silent in case you are stopped or interrogated by ICE or police officers.
   

Everyone’s Rights During an Immigration (ICE) Raid

Everyone – both documented and undocumented persons – have rights in this country.

Make sure you and others know what to do if approached by ICE officers.

Inform your family members (even children), housemates, neighbors and co-workers, regardless of their immigration status, of their right to remain silent and all of these rights if ICE or the police comes to your home, neighborhood or workplace.

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You have the right to remain silent.

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You can refuse to speak to an ICE agent. Do not answer any questions, especially about your birth place, immigration status or how you entered the United States. Say that you want to remain silent until you speak with a lawyer.

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You have the right to demand a warrant before letting anyone into your home.

Do not open your door to authorities without a warrant. You do not need to open the door unless an ICE agent shows you a warrant signed by a judge with your specific and correct name and address on it. If they say they have one, do not open the door for them to show it to you. Ask them to slip it under the door or through a window.

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You have the right to speak to a lawyer and the right to make a phone call.

Make sure to carry the phone number for an immigration lawyer with you at all times.

You have the right to refuse to sign anything before you talk to a lawyer.

Do not sign anything. That could eliminate your right to speak with a lawyer or have a hearing in front of an immigration judge. This may result in you being deported immediately without a hearing.

You have the right to refuse to show any documents before speaking with a lawyer.

Remain calm and do not try to run away.

If you do, ICE or the police may use that against you.

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What Allies Can Do During an Immigration Raid

If you can do so safely, take photos of, video record, document and report raids and arrests.

• Obtain the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.

• Share information about the raid with your co-workers. If there is a union in your workplace, contact a union official.

• If ICE agents or police officers enter without a proper warrant, ask for their names and/or write down their badge numbers.

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