About This Guide
This is a Know Your Rights (KYR) Train the Trainer Toolkit, originally developed by attorneys Grisel Ruiz, Nikki Marquez, and Ariel Brown of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), with support from the Marin Community Foundation. It is designed to equip advocates, church leaders, and community organizers with the tools to conduct KYR presentations — arming immigrant communities with education, not fear.Note: Much of the legal guidance in this toolkit is written for California audiences. If you are using this toolkit outside California, verify your state’s specific laws with a local expert or immigration nonprofit.
| For informal sharers | Use this toolkit to learn basic constitutional rights information you can share with your network — along with handouts you can distribute. |
| For KYR presenters | Use this toolkit to plan and conduct a full KYR presentation, from logistics to substantive content. A KYR presentation should be conducted in partnership with a local nonprofit or legal service provider. |
Why KYR Presentations Matter
Why do Know Your Rights presentations matter?
In the face of increasing immigration enforcement, it is crucial that people know the US Constitution provides certain rights for everyone, regardless of immigration status. There are steps immigrants can take to decrease their chances of detection, protect themselves during an ICE encounter, and prepare in the event that a loved one is placed in removal (deportation) proceedings. KYR presentations respond to these threats with education and empowerment — not panic.
How do people end up in removal proceedings?
Immigrants can encounter ICE in a variety of ways. Being undocumented is reason enough to be placed in proceedings. But even lawful permanent residents (green card holders) can be placed in proceedings — for example, for certain criminal offenses or for staying outside the country too long. The criminal justice system is the number one pathway through which individuals encounter ICE, due to frequent cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.
What is a "raid"?
A “raid” generally refers to a large-scale enforcement action — such as when ICE officers go to a workplace with the intention of apprehending anyone deportable. Some advocates avoid this word because it can create widespread, often unwarranted, panic. When ICE agents go to a specific home, they are usually looking for one or two individuals — called a “targeted enforcement action.” Even so, ICE frequently arrests other people present who were not their targets. This is called “collateral arrests.”
What is the likelihood ICE will come to someone's home?
In the broad scheme of things, the likelihood that ICE will come to a given individual’s home is low. Those with prior removal orders and/or prior contact with the criminal justice system are at higher — but not certain — risk. Even if the likelihood is low, it is important to take preventative steps now. As a presenter, lead with education and information — not fear.
Why is it important for people to assert their rights even if they might still be arrested?
If an individual asserts their constitutional rights and ICE nonetheless violates them, that person may have a way to fight their deportation case through a Motion to Suppress — which prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used against them. Asserting rights also holds ICE accountable for unconstitutional practices. ICE relies on people being unaware of their rights.
Roles & Goals as a Presenter
Your role as a presenter is to stand in solidarity with the immigrant community by ensuring they are empowered with the knowledge to be their own first line of defense. Emphasize community empowerment and accurate information. Community fear is made worse by unverified rumors — do not spread information about ICE activity unless it has been verified by a local nonprofit.
- You do not need to know everything — it is okay to say “I don’t know”
- Refer nuanced legal questions to a licensed attorney or DOJ-accredited representative
- Never advise someone on their specific immigration case unless you are an attorney or accredited representative — doing so could result in unauthorized practice of law
- Distribute a list of reliable local legal service providers so people can get appropriate advice
- Always lead with power, not panic
Presentation Tips & Best Practices
- Start with clear goals: Tell your audience exactly what you will and will not cover today
- Cover the three critical rights at minimum: right to remain silent, right not to open the door to ICE, right not to sign anything before speaking with an attorney
- Remember the advice in this guide applies to immigration agents (ICE/CBP), not local law enforcement — these can differ
- Practice makes perfect: Practice your presentation with a friend first, and always include a live skit demonstrating rights in action
- Less is more — repeat a few key rights clearly rather than overwhelming people with information
- Use other tools: videos, handouts, and skits keep audiences engaged (see Additional Resources section)
- Lead with power, not panic: remind your audience that for most people, the risk of an ICE encounter is low
Key phrases to practice with your audience: “Am I free to go?” — “I am asserting my right to remain silent.” — “I do not consent to a search.” — “I want to talk to my lawyer.” Have the audience repeat these aloud as a group — especially if there isn’t time for smaller breakout exercises.
Planning Your KYR Event — 1 Month Out
Use the checklist below as your planning guide, starting at least one month before your event. Each step helps ensure strong turnout, a welcoming environment, and a well-prepared presentation.
Partner with a local organization
Work with a trusted local nonprofit, legal service provider, or community organization. Local allies know your community's needs best and help increase attendance by reducing fear of participation.
Invite co-presenters (optional)
Extend invitations early. A KYR presentation works fine solo, but multimedia and skits keep audiences more engaged.
Choose a date, time, and location
Pick venues familiar to the community — churches, schools, and community centers work well. Ensure enough seating, confirm accessibility, and book for at least two hours to allow for setup and cleanup.
Advertise the event
Draft a flyer that makes clear the event is open to everyone. Consider preparing materials in other languages depending on your audience.
Keep copies of everything
Save all flyers and handout materials for reuse at future events.
Your event flyer should include: location, date, and start time; topics to be covered (e.g., KYR at home, KYR at work); names of presenters if relevant; any other services offered (e.g., free consultations by immigration attorneys); and logos or images to make it visually appealing.
Final Preparation — 1–2 Weeks Out
Create an agenda
An agenda keeps your presentation on track. See the Sample Agenda section below for a starting point. Identify whether you'll cover "defensive" rights (what to do during an ICE encounter), "offensive" steps (what to do proactively), or both.
Prepare your co-presenters
Coordinate who covers what, for how long, and share any relevant context about the community you'll be serving.
Prepare and copy handouts
Consider distributing the ILRC Red Cards, the ILRC Family Preparedness Plan, a list of local legal service providers, and any local rapid response numbers.
Arrange for translation
Ensure both verbal and written materials are available in the relevant language(s). Consider translation equipment for simultaneous translation and do a sound check before the event.
Optional — Prepare a press release
If press will attend, determine ahead of time who is designated to speak with them.
Logistics checklist
Confirm sound system, chairs, projector/screen (if using video), water, parking instructions, childcare, and accessibility.
How do I order ILRC Red Cards? Visit ilrc.org/red-cards. The Red Card has two sides: one side (in Spanish or another language) explains the person’s rights; the other side (in English) expresses those rights to ICE so the person does not have to say anything — they simply present the card.
Day of the Event
Registration and check-in
Have someone near the entrance to greet attendees. Use signs, balloons, or arrows to direct people if the event space isn't visible from the street.
Press
If press is attending, designate specific people to speak with them.
Introductions
Introduce your organization and presenters. Consider opening with audience questions to build connection and gauge what people already know.
Keep track of time
Budget time for all sections, including questions at the end.
Sample opening questions for the audience: “How many people know someone who has been deported or affected by deportation? Don’t be afraid to raise your own hand — so the audience doesn’t feel alone.” For smaller groups: “What do you hope to get out of today? Are people being picked up by ICE locally?”
Sample Agenda & Starter Script
Use the agenda below as a starting point. Adapt it to your audience’s needs, time available, and local context.
- Introductions and opening — introduce yourself and open with audience questions
- State presentation goals — explain what will and won’t be covered; emphasize that these rights belong to everyone regardless of status
- Explain “defensive” rights — right to remain silent, right not to open the door, right not to sign anything
- Practice! — conduct a live skit demonstrating how to assert rights; use the ILRC Red Card
- Explain “offensive” steps (optional) — proactive steps people can take now before any encounter
- Recap — ask the audience to name the key rights; encourage them to practice at home with family members
- Closing and Q&A — address questions; highlight printed resources people can take home
“Everyone in the United States has rights, no matter what their immigration status is. Today we are going to explain these rights and practice them.”
Use this as your opening line to set the tone.
COMMUNITY PROTECTION POINTS — Remain silent. Don’t open the door. Speak with an attorney. Don’t sign anything. Show your Red Card. Don’t show false documents. Stay calm, don’t run. Make a family plan. It’s your decision.
These Puntos de Protección were created by Comité Latino and the ILRC. Print or display these as a visual aid for your audience.
KYR Cheat Sheet — Constitutional Rights
At minimum, cover the Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights below. This section can serve as your at-a-glance reference during the presentation. Print the next two sections double-sided for a portable one-page cheat sheet.
Fifth Amendment: Right to Remain Silent
- If ICE comes to your home, you do not have to answer their questions
- If ICE stops you on the street or at work, you do not have to answer their questions
- Do not sign anything without first speaking with an attorney
- Tell ICE: “I am exercising my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent” — or just show the Red Card
- Ask: “Am I free to leave?”
Fourth Amendment: Right Against Unreasonable Searches
- Do not open your door to ICE agents
- ICE may not enter your home without your consent (don’t give it) or a judicial warrant signed by a judge — which they rarely have
- ICE warrants are NOT judicial warrants
- Ask ICE to slip any document under the door — never open the door, even slightly, to review it
- If ICE insists on searching, say: “I do not consent to this search under my Fourth Amendment right” — but do not physically attempt to stop them
| Warrant Type | Who Signs It | Grants Entry to Home? |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest Warrant | Judge or magistrate | No |
| Search Warrant | Judge or magistrate | Yes — for the specific address listed |
| Administrative / ICE Warrant | ICE agents sign it themselves | No — this is not a judicial warrant |
Cars and Automobiles
| Stopped by local police | The driver must show driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance upon request. Consult ACLU’s KYR tools for further advice: aclu.org/know-your-rights |
| Stopped by ICE | Drivers and passengers have the right to remain silent. Say: “I am exercising my Fifth Amendment right.” Never provide immigration status information. Calmly state you do not consent to a search if they attempt one. |
Rights If Confronted in the Criminal Justice System (California)
- Right to remain silent
- Right not to sign anything
- California TRUTH Act: you have the right to a written consent form allowing you to decline any ICE interview
- California Values Act (SB 54): protections against local law enforcement sharing your information or cooperating with certain ICE requests
- Always decline ICE interviews conducted in local jails
Rights in Removal (Deportation) Proceedings
- Right to remain silent
- Right not to sign anything without consulting an attorney
- Right to a court interpreter in your best language — at no cost
- Right to appear before an immigration judge (for most people)
- Right to an attorney — but not at government expense; you must hire one or find a nonprofit
- Right to contact your country’s consulate
Your Rights at Home
Your home has the strongest Fourth Amendment protections of any location. No police or immigration officer can conduct a search unless they have the consent of the occupants or a valid judicial warrant. This applies to all places where people live, including migrant farmworker housing. A landlord cannot give immigration officers permission to enter a tenant’s home for a warrantless search.
During a targeted enforcement action, ICE agents may display a document and claim it is a warrant. Because ICE officers very rarely have a valid judicial warrant, the recommended advice is always the same: keep the door closed.
NEVER OPEN YOUR DOOR. Keep it closed — whether or not ICE claims to have a document. Ask them to slide anything under the door. Do not sign anything. Do not answer questions.
This is the single most important thing to communicate in a KYR presentation.
Your Rights in Public Spaces
ICE and CBP are legally permitted to go anywhere that is a public place and question people without a warrant. In public spaces, your Fourth Amendment protections are the weakest. However, you still have the right to remain silent and to ask if you are free to go.
The courts agree that race or ethnic appearance alone is not a sufficient basis for justifying a stop or arrest.
- You have the right to remain silent
- Ask: “Am I free to go?” — if yes, walk away calmly
- If ICE says no, you still have the right to remain silent
- Do not sign anything without talking to an attorney
- Show your Red Card whenever ICE or CBP asks questions
Your Rights at Work and in Sensitive Locations
Many workplaces have both public areas (like a restaurant dining room) and non-public areas (like a kitchen or private office). In public areas of a business, ICE may enter and question people — the same standards as public spaces apply. In non-public areas, California’s AB 450 provides additional protections.
- Employers may NOT give ICE consent to enter non-public areas of the workplace
- ICE must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public areas
- Employers cannot allow ICE to access employee records without a subpoena or judicial warrant
- Employees still have the right to remain silent in all workplace areas
Sensitive Locations: ICE has historically avoided enforcement activities at schools, places of worship, hospitals, and public demonstrations. However, these are internal agency policies — not law — and could change. Advocates must continue to push the administration to adhere to this policy. For a copy of ICE’s sensitive locations memo, visit ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf.
Proactive Steps — What People Can Do Now
There are steps people can take right now to prepare for any future ICE contact. Time permitting, cover some of these “offensive strategy” topics at your KYR presentation. Even if you don’t review them during your presentation, consider distributing the ILRC Family Preparedness Plan as a handout.
Get an immigration "check-up"
Meet with an immigration attorney to understand your options, even if you spoke to a lawyer before. Immigration law changes frequently, and new options may be available. See ilrc.org/community-resources for referrals.
Know a trustworthy immigration attorney
Have the name and number of a reliable attorney who practices "removal defense" ready to go — just in case. This is not a retainer — just a prepared reference.
Apply for citizenship if eligible
If you are already a lawful permanent resident, becoming a US citizen gives you the most secure immigration status, eliminates deportation risk, and allows you to vote. Visit newamericanscampaign.org for naturalization information.
Know what documents to carry
Carry a valid green card or work permit if you have one. Carry a state or municipal ID issued in the US that does not indicate immigration status. Do NOT carry documents about your country of origin or any false documents. Everyone can carry an ILRC Red Card.
Create a family preparedness plan
Decide who would care for your children if you were detained. Put together a file of important documents. Create an emergency card on file with your child's school. For a full guide, visit ilrc.org/family-preparedness-plan.
Make sure US-born children have passports
Parents may also consider registering children's births with their home country's consulate in case relocation becomes necessary.
Explore post-conviction relief if applicable
Those with criminal records may be able to work with a "clean slate" clinic or attorney to address certain convictions that hurt their immigration case. Always consult an immigration attorney, because not all options will work for every case.
Protecting Against Fraud
You do not have to cover this information in your KYR presentation, but it is helpful to have on hand if requested — or distribute educational fraud flyers alongside your list of trusted legal providers.
At any time — but especially during periods of heightened fear — people can fall prey to fraud by “notarios” or immigration consultants who are not licensed attorneys. These individuals take advantage of people who are desperate for help, unfamiliar with US laws, or afraid to approach traditional legal providers. Victims may lose thousands of dollars and, in some cases, may be deported as a result.
Seek help only from licensed attorneys or DOJ-accredited representatives.
“Notarios and immigration consultants can help me with my immigration case.”
Fact: Fact: In the US, a “notario” is not an attorney. Only licensed attorneys or DOJ-accredited (formerly BIA-accredited) representatives are authorized to provide immigration legal advice. Unauthorized practitioners can cost you money, your case, and even your ability to stay in the country.
- Do not hire anyone who will not provide a written contract
- Do not pay for blank immigration forms — these are available online for free
- Be skeptical of anyone who promises results because they have “contacts” at Immigration
- Verify attorneys’ credentials at calbar.ca.gov (California) or your state’s bar association
- Read all documents carefully before signing — you are responsible for what is submitted in your name
- You have the right to a copy of your file at any time
- You can always switch attorneys if you are unsatisfied
Frequently Asked Questions
The following is a non-exhaustive list of questions that commonly arise during KYR presentations. Use these as a reference when fielding audience questions. When in doubt, say: “I don’t know, but here is how to find out” — and refer people to a qualified legal provider.
Is the risk as high as the news makes it seem?
No. The likelihood that ICE will come to an average person’s home is low. Those with prior removal orders or contact with the criminal justice system may face higher risk — but even then, it is not certain. Emphasize empowerment, not fear. For most people, the risk remains small.
Do I have to give my name to ICE?
In California, you do not have to give your name to ICE. For other states, check with an immigration nonprofit or the ACLU. This is different from local law enforcement — in some states, you may be required to provide your name to police if you are detained and suspected of a crime.
How do I tell the difference between ICE and local police?
Local law enforcement typically wear local uniforms and carry a badge identifying their agency. ICE agents are often in plain clothes but may wear gear marked “ICE” or “ICE Police.” In California, AB 1440 prohibits ICE from identifying themselves as local police — though they may attempt to. Never open your door based on how someone identifies themselves.
Can I film or photograph ICE in public?
Yes. You can film and photograph in public spaces where you are lawfully present. ICE may not confiscate, demand to view, or delete your photos or video without a warrant. Use personal judgment about safety — filming may draw attention to yourself.
What does a warrant look like — should I open the door to check?
Teaching community members to assess warrants is not advised — it’s complex and easily confused under stress. More importantly, ICE almost never has a valid judicial warrant to enter a home. Simply keep the door closed. ICE does carry “ICE Warrants,” but these are not signed by a judge and do not authorize entry into a home.
Do I get a phone call if ICE detains me?
There is no guaranteed number of calls. Each detention facility has its own telephone policies. In theory, individuals should be able to reach a legal service provider. Phone access in immigration detention is a known, ongoing problem. An immigration attorney may be able to assist with communication and location.
How do I find out where someone has been taken after an ICE detention?
Use the ICE detainee locator at locator.ice.gov using the person’s A-number and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth. Note that minors are not listed in this system. An immigration attorney or DOJ-accredited representative can help locate someone.
What are my childcare options if I am detained?
In California, options range from informal agreements to a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit (CAA) or Nomination of Guardian. Families should determine what works best for them and consult with an immigration attorney. A good practice for all families: have an emergency contact card on file with your child’s school. Emphasize that the risk for most families is low — this is a preventive step.
Additional Resources
Resources for Community Members
- ILRC Red Cards (assert your rights without saying a word): ilrc.org/red-cards
- ILRC Family Preparedness Plan: ilrc.org/family-preparedness-plan
- ILRC Community Resources: ilrc.org/community-resources
- ACLU Know Your Rights: aclu.org/know-your-rights
- CASA Know Your Rights (multilingual, with illustrations): wearecasa.org/resources/know-your-rights
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network: cliniclegal.org
- National Immigrant Law Center: nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights
- Nationwide free/low-cost legal directory: immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory
- DOJ Pro Bono Legal Service Providers (national): justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers
Resources for Employers and Organizations
- Know Your Rights — Guide for California Employers (ILRC): ilrc.org/know-your-rights-guide-california-employers
- Workplace Raids — Employer Rights and Responsibilities (Legal Aid at Work): ready-california.org
- Health Care Providers and Immigration Enforcement (NILC): nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights
- Protecting Undocumented and Vulnerable Students (CA Charter School Association): ready-california.org
Resources for Presenters and Allies
- Sample KYR Skit Script (English and Spanish, ILRC): ilrc.org/know-your-rights-script-skit
- ICE Warrants Basics (ILRC): ilrc.org/ice-warrants-basics
- Copy of ICE Sensitive Locations Memo: ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf
- Filming ICE Tip Sheet (WITNESS + Immigrant Defense Project): witness.org/filming-ice
- ICE Raids Toolkit (Immigrant Defense Project): immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit
- Free Webinar — Family Preparedness Planning in California (ILRC): ilrc.org/community-resources
Recommended Videos for KYR Presentations
Published by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).