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How to Support Immigrant Communities During ICE Raids

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Staying alert is good, but organized solidarity is essential in these times: know the rights of undocumented immigrants, don’t sound false alarms, and connect people with rapid response resources.

From January 6 – 10, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents executed a series of operations in Kern County, California. They claim to have arrested approximately 80 people for alleged criminal activity, but reports and video evidence suggest that agents knocked on doors, pulled drivers over, and racially profiled people at gas stations, stores, and other public places.

Many asked why CBP was operating 100 miles from the border, outside of its jurisdiction. The simple answer is that we forget that California has an 840-mile-long border called the coast. But a more nuanced answer is that immigration enforcement departments and agents have been allowed to run rogue since the inception of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11. Documented cases of sexual assault, battery, medical assault, as well as the murder of migrants and death of migrant children while in custody are not new. But under Trump 2.0’s double down on mass deportations, agents now have carte blanche to do whatever they please. Law and order do not apply. Only chaos, rampant abuse, and harm to communities will ensue. 

In 2024, immigrant justice organizations prepared for a threatening future, doing scenario planning for the different possibilities they might face if Trump or Harris won. In November they shifted to implementing their plans, focusing on equipping organizations and leaders nationwide for massive know-your-rights trainings, raids response, and litigation defense. 

But the reality is that the immigrant justice sector, like many social justice sectors, is severely underfunded. Organizations, community groups, and activists are getting creative at reaching a mass audience. In an attempt to support these efforts, social media influencers are also disseminating information, many times uplifting the work of local organizations.

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The Trump administration has made it clear that they not only want to deport as many people as possible (because realistically they can’t deport 11 million people), but they also want to create a state of terror, a world where people are living in fear and are less likely to challenge the dominant systems that seek to exploit their labor. In the last several days, though, I have seen over and over the same clip of a well-intentioned person on social media telling folks that if they want to be good allies they should scream the word “Migra” if they see immigration agents. That’s it. No context. No verification. No real information on how to actually support people. Screaming “Migra” as a means to protect people only plays into Trump’s plan. 

Instead, I want to offer some more concrete ways to help immigrant communities combat fear and fight for their rights to remain in their new home country.

Inform yourself and others about people’s rights when in contact with immigration agents

Conduct or attend Know Your Rights (KYR)  information sessions. You don’t have to be an attorney to do these, and there are several great resources created by trusted organizations:

Understanding your rights helps lower fears. I have done hundreds of know-your-rights sessions and even in post-raid communities they are appreciated and give people more tools to continue to protect themselves. 

Emphasize the right to remain silent

Immigration agents need proof that someone is an unauthorized immigrant, not the other way around. Many times, immigrants themselves provide the proof to agents by answering questions like, Where were you born? Are you undocumented/illegal? How did you come into the country? Role-playing will help people practice being able to remain silent, as immigration agents will literally lie,  threaten, beat, and in some cases force people to sign documents by grabbing their hands and “signing” for them. By continuing to remain silent, people have a chance to fight for their right to stay. The only thing that people should share is their real name and date of birth so they can be found by family members and their attorneys.

Verify, verify, verify

  • If you think you see immigration agents or vehicles, verify if there is an operation underway. For example, in Downtown Los Angeles you might see immigration agents because they work in the federal building and they might be eating lunch, running errands, or doing other activities. No need to cause panic just because you see agents or their vehicles. Assess the situation early. You don’t need to post on your social media and create more fear. 
  • You need to assess whether immigration agents just happen to be in a certain place, or whether they are converging to stage an operation or to detain people. CBP may be preparing for a raid if:
    • Several vehicles are parked haphazardly and agents are setting up tents, or there are buses or vans nearby.
    • Agents are convening in a place that is not near a federal building or known immigration enforcement office, gathering at a worksite or a public place where there is a lot of foot traffic.
    • Agents are actively approaching people and asking them questions.
    • Agents are approaching a particular house.
  • If you see a social media post announcing a raid or immigration agent activities, verify before you repost. Are there pictures or video identifying ICE, CBP, or another enforcement agency? Are agents actively arresting people? Who is the source? Can you go and verify? If not, you may not want to repost.

It’s an immigration operation. What do I do now?

If you confirm that it is indeed an immigration operation, you can do several things to help protect the community and the rights of people at risk of immediate detention:

  • Inform your local raids response network, if there is one in your area. The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) has a list of local and national hotlines you can reach out to. 
  • Try to engage the people who are being approached by immigration agents. Tell people to remain silent, to not answer any questions from agents, and to not sign anything. You may want to yell this information out. 
  • Ask the people who are being arrested for their names and the name and number of a person they want you to contact. This will let their loved ones and/or their attorney know what is happening. Kids might need to get picked up from school, people might need to be called. Only do this if you plan to follow through.
  • Assess your safety as well. In Kern County, a Latino man who was a U.S. citizen was pulled over and he exercised his rights. His tires were slashed and the agent threatened to break his windows and he was detained anyway. Even if you are a U.S. citizen, you may be arrested. If you have health issues or have other commitments that would be catastrophic if you are arrested even for a few hours, try to stay back and keep yourself safe.
  • Connect with immigrant rights or other social justice groups in your area to explore ways to support immigrant justice at the local level. Many times, organizations are already working on local or state legislation to include immigrant communities, as well as to protect their rights. If there are no groups in your immediate area, use your existing networks to help disseminate information to immigrant communities. If you are not from an immigrant community and are new to this type of work, try to support the leadership of immigrants as they inform their community. Communities will want to hear from their own members and receive information in their own language. 

The next four years are going to be hard for many communities targeted by the Trump administration. Staying alert is good, but organized solidarity is essential in these times. Community defense will look different in different communities, and it’s a great opportunity to build new and deeper relationships, so we can continue to build a strong, multi-racial democracy and fight back against authoritarianism. 

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