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Emergency Preparedness

What families should know :
  1. Make a childcare 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).
    • 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
  2. Documents to carry AT ALL TIMES*
    • Valid work permit
    • Valid Green Card

*If you do not have one, you may 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.

  1. Documents you SHOULD NOT carry with you
    • Any documentation that indicates your country of origin (such as a Foreign Passport)
    • Any false identity/immigration documents
  1. You have the right to remain silent.
    • Do not answer any questions, especially about your birthplace, immigration status or how you entered the United States.
    • Say that you want to remain silent until you speak with your lawyer.
  2. 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.
  3. You have the right to speak to a lawyer and the right to make a phone call.
  4. You have the right to refuse to sign anything before you talk to a lawyer.
    • Do not sign anything.
    • If you sign something, you 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.

How to reduce risk to yourself:

  • Stay calm. Don’t run, argue, or obstruct the officer or agent. Keep your hands raised where they can see them.
  • If you are in a car, pull over in a safe place as quickly as possible. Turn off the engine, turn on the internal light, open the window part way and place your hands on the wheel. Upon request, show police your driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance.
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your papers, you must show them if you have them with you. If you are over 18, carry your immigration documents with you at all times. If you do not have immigration papers, say you want to remain silent.

Your rights In a car:

  • Drivers and passengers have the right to remain silent. If you are a passenger, you can ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says yes, calmly leave.
  • If an officer or immigration agent asks to look inside your car, you can refuse to consent to the search. But if police generally believe that your car contains evidence of a crime, your car can be searched without your consent.
  • In addition to police, Border Patrol conduct “roving patrols” around the interior of the U.S., pulling over motorists. Border Patrol must have reasonable suspicion that the driver or passengers in the car committed an immigration violation or a federal crime.
  • Any arrest or prolonged stop by Border Patrol requires probable cause. You may ask the agents about the basis for probable cause, and they should tell you. In this situation, both the driver and any passengers have the right to remain silent and not answer questions about their immigration status.

On an airplane:

  • A pilot may refuse to fly a passenger if he or she reasonably believes that the passenger is a threat to flight safety. A pilot may not, however, question you or refuse to allow you on a flight because of bias based on your religion, race, national origin, gender, ethnicity, or political beliefs.
  • If you believe you are mistakenly on a “no-fly” list, you should review our guidance on No-Fly lists here.

On buses and trains:

  • Border Patrol agents may board buses and trains in the 100-mile border region either at the station or while the bus is on its journey. More than one officer usually boards the bus, and they will ask passengers questions about their immigration status, ask passengers to show them immigration documents, or both.
  • These questions should be brief and related to verifying one’s lawful presence in the U.S. You are not required to answer and can simply say you do not wish to do so. As always, you have the right to remain silent.

If you believe your rights were violated

  • Write down everything you remember, including officers’ badges and patrol car numbers, which agency the officers were from, and any other details. Get contact information from witnesses.
  • If you’re injured, seek medical attention immediately and take photographs of your injuries.
  • File a written complaint with the agency’s internal affairs division or civilian complaint board. In most cases, you can file a complaint anonymously.

Credit: American Civil Liberties Union

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