What to do if ICE shows up at your home
An emergency plan is a document that everyone should have to protect themselves and their families in the event of an emergency, whether it be a fire, an earthquake, or an interaction with or arrest and detention by ICE.
Make sure people you trust know where this document is, why it is important, and how to get it if you are detained by ICE. Keep your plan up to date, and never share this document with ICE.
Keep calm. You have constitutional rights.
Do not open the door
No one can enter your home without your consent.
“I will not open the door if you do not have a court order signed by a judge or magistrate.”
If ICE enters your home
Say it clearly and out loud, even if they are already inside.
“I DO NOT consent to the search.”
Use your right to stay silent
You do not have to answer questions about where you were born or how you entered the country.
“I will not answer any questions and I exercise my right to remain silent.”
Do not sign any documents
Signing can give away your right to see a judge.
“I will not sign any documents without first speaking to my lawyer.”
Keep calm
It is better to stay silent than to guess. Any incorrect information can be used against you later.
Questions people ask us
If officers come to my house, how do I know they are from ICE?
ICE agents will often pretend to be police officers and say they want to talk to you about an issue such as identity theft, or a case they are investigating. If they say “WE ARE THE POLICE”, ask them to slide their card or warrant under the door, or to show it through the window.
Do I have to let ICE or the police into my house?
No. You do not have to let ICE or the police in unless they have a warrant signed by a judge authorising them to enter and arrest someone in your home. Ask them to slide the warrant under the door before you open it. In the vast majority of cases ICE will not have one, and would need your consent to enter. Opening the door does not mean you are giving your consent.
What to do if ICE has a judicial warrant
Not every document an officer holds up is a warrant a judge signed. Check the top of the page first, then use the steps below.
What does the top of the document say?
Ask them to slide it under the door or hold it up to the window, then read the name of the court or agency printed at the very top.
This is a judicial warrant.
A judge signed it, so it can authorise entry. Read it carefully before you open the door: check that the address is yours, that the name on it is correct, and that it has not expired. You still keep every right listed below.
This is not enough to enter your home.
A document headed “Department of Homeland Security” is an administrative warrant. It is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and it does not give anyone the right to enter your home or any other private space without your consent.
Remember that you have rights
Ask to end the interaction
You can ask: “Can I leave?” For your own safety, do not run and do not resist arrest.
Stay silent
You do not have to give information that will be used against you in immigration proceedings.
Refuse entry and searches
You do not have to consent to ICE entering, or to a search, without a judicial warrant.
Sign nothing you do not understand
You do not have to sign any document before you fully understand it, or before speaking to a lawyer.