Emergency Planning Guide
An emergency plan is a document every family should have, whether the emergency is a fire, an earthquake, or an arrest and detention by ICE. Making one takes an afternoon. Not having one is decided for you, by other people, on the worst day of your life.
Never share this document with ICE.
Why a plan matters
A plan does not stop anything from happening. What it does is decide, in advance and in your own words, what happens next.
Your children stay with someone you chose
If no one has legal authority to care for your children, that decision gets made by a court or by child services. A signed form means you made it, in advance, and named someone your children already know.
Your home and your money keep working
Rent, car payments and bills do not stop while someone is detained. A person you trust needs both the authority to pay them and the information to know what is owed and to whom.
A lawyer can start straight away
The first hours matter most. If someone can call your attorney and hand over your history and your papers, you have options that are much harder to recover later.
Make your plan in four steps
Start at step one. You do not have to finish in one sitting, and an incomplete plan is still far better than none.
Choose your people
Before you write anything down, decide who does what. Ask each person first, and make sure they agree. Name a second person for each role, in case the first one cannot be reached.
- Who gets called first when something happens
- Who looks after your children, and where they would stay
- Who can pay bills and handle papers for you
- Which attorney to contact, and a second one as backup
Write everything down
Fill in the Emergency Planning Guide and the Emergency Contacts list. The checklist further down this page shows everything that goes in them, part by part, so you can work through it a little at a time.
Sign the legal forms
Writing your wishes down is not the same as giving them legal force. Two forms do that: a Standby Guardian form for your children, and a Limited Power of Attorney for your property and affairs. Read the instructions first, and talk to a lawyer if anything is unclear. A form signed in a hurry can cause more harm than no form at all.
Store it, share it, keep it current
A plan nobody can find does nothing. Keep the original somewhere safe at home, and give a copy to the people named in it.
- Tell those people where the original is and how to get it
- Check it every few months, and after any change of phone, address, job or school
- Never give this document to ICE
What goes in your plan
This is everything step two asks for, broken into six parts. Tick each box as you gather it. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere — the list is only here to help you keep your place, and it clears when you close the page.
Your emergency team
These are the people who get called first. Someone you trust should be able to pick this up and know exactly who to reach, without hunting for a number.
People who can help
If you are held, these are the people who can look after children, move money, or speak to a lawyer for you. Write down how each person is related to you, because officials will ask.
Your children
Whoever steps in has to care for your children the way you would. Schools, doctors and courts will ask for details that are hard to remember under pressure.
Your home and your money
Rent, car payments and bills do not stop. Decide now who pays what, so your family is not at risk of losing the home while they are trying to find you.
Plans for your family
The hardest decisions should be made calmly and in advance, not in the first hour. Say plainly who does what, and for how long.
Your legal plan
A lawyer reached quickly has far more options than one reached a week later. Leave them what they need: who to call, your history, and what you want to happen.
Forms and documents
These are the files you fill in and keep. Several are legal forms, so read the instructions first and talk to a lawyer if anything is unclear.
Emergency Planning Guide
The full plan, with space to write down everything in the checklist above. Fill it in, keep it somewhere safe, and tell the people you trust where it is.
Emergency Contacts
A list of everyone who should be told what is happening. Do not limit it to family: include your home, your workplace, and anyone you trust to act quickly on your behalf.
Appointment of Standby Guardian
This form names an adult to care for your children if you are detained, held or deported. It is what keeps a child with someone you chose rather than someone assigned. Read the instructions before you sign anything.
Limited Power of Attorney
A limited power of attorney lets someone you trust act for you on specific things, for a set time. For immigration purposes it can let a family member or friend handle your property and affairs if you are detained or deported.
ITINs and Filing Taxes
What filing with an ITIN means for your information, and how that information is treated. REPLACE – this description was written for a rule that took effect in April 2025; check it is still current before publishing.