Immigration & ICE Encounters
The Constitution protects everyone in the United States, regardless of immigration status. Plain-English guides to your rights during an ICE encounter: what to do at your door, the difference between a judicial and an administrative warrant, the “red card,” your right to stay silent and to a lawyer, filming agents, and how to prepare your family. Immigration law changes fast — this is general information, not legal advice.
All Immigration & ICE Encounters guides
- Is It Legal to Report or Track ICE Sightings?
Whether it's legal to report or share ICE sightings with your community — the free-speech protections, and the lines around harboring and obstruction you must not cross.
- Can Local Police Arrest ICE, FBI, or Other Federal Agents?
Can local police arrest ICE, FBI, or other federal agents? How the Supremacy Clause and federal-officer immunity decide when a cop can.
- The ‘Red Card’: Know-Your-Rights Cards for ICE Encounters
What the red 'know your rights' card is, what it says, how and when to use it during an ICE encounter, and its real limits.
- ICE at Courthouses, Schools, Hospitals, and Churches: ‘Sensitive Locations’
The 'sensitive locations' / protected-areas policy explained — its history, that it was rescinded in 2025, and what protections still exist at schools, hospitals, and churches.
- Can You Film or Record ICE Agents?
Your First Amendment right to record ICE and other federal agents in public — what's protected, the limits, and how to record safely and usefully.
- Your Rights During an ICE Encounter (Regardless of Immigration Status)
The Constitution protects everyone in the U.S. Your core rights during an ICE encounter — stay silent, don't open the door, don't sign, get a lawyer — explained.
- ICE Worksite Raids: Employer and Employee Rights
ICE worksite raids: employer and employee rights. What a judicial warrant means, who can enter, and what workers can say or refuse.
- ICE Stops in Public: Your Rights on the Street
What to do if ICE stops you in public: your right to stay silent, to ask if you're free to go, to refuse a search, and the one document rule for green-card holders.
- Judicial Warrant vs. Administrative Warrant: What ICE Needs to Enter Your Home
The difference between a judicial warrant and an ICE administrative warrant — and why only one lets agents enter your home. How to tell them apart at the door.
- ICE at Your Door: Do You Have to Open It, Show ID, or Answer Questions?
What are your rights with ICE at your door? You don't have to open it, show ID, or answer questions without a judge-signed warrant.
- Know Your Rights During an ICE Raid
Know your rights during an ICE raid: stay silent, don't sign, don't consent, ask for a lawyer. What to do at home, work, or in public.
- Identifying ICE and Immigration Agents: Uniforms, Badges, and Masks
How to identify immigration police: ICE, HSI, and ERO agents, plainclothes vs. uniformed, unmarked cars, masks, and how to verify a badge safely.
- ICE and Traffic Stops: Your Rights in the Car
Your rights when ICE or Border Patrol stops your vehicle: what the driver and passengers must do, refusing searches, and the special rules near the border.
- Do You Have to Show ID to ICE?
Do you have to show ID to ICE? What citizens, green-card holders, and other noncitizens must (and don't have to) do when immigration agents ask.
- Do Local Police Work With ICE? Sanctuary Policies, Detainers, and Deportation
Do local police work with ICE? How sanctuary policies, ICE detainers, and the deportation process work, and why local cops cannot deport you.
- Can You Refuse to Sign ICE Documents?
Why you can — and usually should — refuse to sign ICE documents without a lawyer, what voluntary departure and stipulated removal mean, and your right to a hearing.
- What Happens If You Are Detained by ICE
What to expect if ICE detains you or a loved one: your A-number, how to locate someone in detention, bond, the right to a lawyer, and what family can do.
- How to Make a Family Preparedness Plan for Immigration Enforcement
A practical family preparedness plan for immigration enforcement: childcare and power of attorney, key numbers to memorize, documents to organize, and emergency steps.