I’m self-soothing during these “unprecedented times” by learning about my Constitutional rights and teaching others. I’m not a lawyer and I can’t offer legal advice, but I can offer resources.
If you, your employees or your neighbors and friends are living in fear of being caught in an ICE raid, remember, we all have Constitutional rights. These rights apply to all people in the United States, regardless of immigration status.
- The Fourth Amendment protects us and our property from illegal searches. Everyone has the right to refuse ICE into their home unless the agents have a warrant signed by a judge. In short — keep your door shut. Do not open it to anyone you don’t know. Warrants can be slid under the door or shown through a window.
- The Fifth Amendment gives you the right to remain silent. In short — keep your mouth shut.
- The Sixth Amendment gives you the right to an attorney who is present when you’re being questioned and can review any paperwork and advise you on whether or not to sign it. In short — request an attorney and do not sign anything you don’t understand.
Sandra Williams
If a company’s employees are afraid to come to work, the business suffers, and so do the company’s customers, and that impacts the economy negatively. It’s in everyone’s interest to help employers. The first thing employers can do is set up an area that no one but employees can enter. It’s as simple as putting up a sign like any of these.
Employers can keep their workforce strong with a written plan, training and then rehearse that training. This PDF is a good place for employers to start.
The best training videos are from the American Civil Liberties Union. Close the donation request box to see the content. Even if you feel safe from an ICE raid or other action, take a few minutes to watch them here to better understand what’s going on.
The Know Your Rights 4 Immigrants app gets around potential language barriers with an English language audio file that can be played from the app. It also features precise information on how to prepare to have someone take care of your children or dependents should you be detained by ICE. KYR is a multilingual app and includes how to locate someone if they’re detained by ICE. It’s available for Apple and Android devices.
You can also download this Word document with a QR Code that leads back to this article. They can be printed as individual handouts, posted in the workplace or passed out to people who need them to provide access to all this information.
Sandra “Sam” Williams lives in St. Augustine, Fla.