Skip to content
Know Your Rights
Category: Immigration

We Protect Us! – Know Your Rights resources

  • Luba Cortes Immigrant Defense Coordinator

We know these are troubling times, which may cause a lot of anxiety, especially in our immigrant communities. We want to make sure every New Yorker is prepared to protect themselves and each other, and know their rights should they come in contact with ICE at home, in the streets, or in the workplace.

At Make the Road NY, we are actively working on Know Your Rights materials to help ease some of the anxiety our families, neighbors, and loved ones may be feeling at this time. These resources are available for anyone in the community on our website in English and Spanish at: weprotectusny.org and nosprotegemosny.org 

Here are a few of our most important resources:

IF ICE SHOWS UP AT YOUR HOME, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

As anxiety rises in immigrant communities across the country and families become more vulnerable to ICE, there is an urgent need for reliable information that helps immigrant communities understand their rights as well as safe, practical steps that they can take to defend themselves during encounters with ICE. If immigration comes to your door, you have rights!

  1. Do NOT open the door. 
  2. Remain calm. 
  3. Do not sign anything. 
  4. Record. 
  5. Make a family plan. 

DEPORTATION DEFENSE MANUAL

A manual with information and resources to create a plan for communities and individuals who are being impacted by the escalation of immigration enforcement activity, and those who support them. 

It is a supplement to, not a substitute for, legal counsel. If you are facing deportation or have a previous deportation order, reach out to a trusted immigration attorney.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAINING FOR ALLIES – WEBINAR 

A webinar about ICE surveillance, policing, and what to do during an encounter with immigration enforcement. It focuses on how ICE operates and collects information and provides Know Your Rights information for what to do during encounters with ICE at home, on the street, and in cars. It prepares advocates, organizers, and allies to give Know Your Right information to impacted community members. 

REPORTING ICE RAIDS – INFOGRAPHIC

Follow the guidelines in this graphic when reporting a raid. 

It is crucial to only publicize raids that have been vetted by a trusted source. This allows for faster community response, builds trust, and limits the spread of misinformation and fear. 

We are more committed than ever to fighting for the respect and dignity of our communities. That’s why last week, along with The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of the District of Columbia, and the New York Civil Liberties Union, we sued the Trump administration over its plan to massively expand fast-track deportations without a fair legal process. You can read more about it here.

It is now up to us to protect the people we love. Thank you for your ongoing support and trust. 

In solidarity,

— Luba Cortes, Civil Rights and Immigration Lead Organizer