Preparing for a Visit from Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Dear Community Action Colleagues-
While the focused deployment of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to seek out thousands of undocumented individuals and families for deportation was delayed last month, recent press reports state
that this deployment may start as soon as this weekend across the US, primarily in large cities. Acting Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli has not confirmed the timing, but has stated that this will happen at some point.
We know many of you have taken precautionary measures to prepare for these or other visits by ICE officials. CAAs are encouraged to be knowledgeable about about their rights before ICE enforcement visits occur.
In response to CAA queries, CAPLAW has developed a quick reference document,
Tips for Responding to ICE Inquiries at Your CAA, accessible here.
We encourage you to
download it, read it, share with staff, and consider its recommendations.
The tips fall into these core categories:
Call a lawyer
Public vs. Private Spaces
Designate a person to speak to Immigration officials
Review the warrant
Know your rights to remain silent and to an attorney
Monitor the search process
Sensitive locations
Keep a list of community resources
We appreciate CAPLAW being a resource to the Community Action Network on this and other issues.
If you have questions, please reach out to them.
www.caplaw.org.
In addition, the
Immigration Hub has developed a list of resources to assist organizations to be prepared if visited by ICE as part of this or future efforts. You can
access this list here.
Protecting Immigrant Families has many great resources and tools for individuals and organizations. Led by CLASP and the National Immigration Law Center, Protecting Immigrant Families has been a key convener since 2017.
Also flagging for you the Immigration Legal Resource Center and their
"
Red Cards". These cards can be ordered in multiple languages and given to individuals to reference their rights under the US Constitution regardless of immigration status.
The Partnership has also posted resources from partners and content from the April Immigration Summit
here, which may also be of interest.
The Community Action Promise reads:
Community Action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
Thank you for all you do each day to care about the entire community!
