Know Your Rights

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Room: C-Building, C-317
Phone: (718) 482-5446
acces-preets@lagcc.cuny.edu

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LaGuardia offers resources to support students, regardless of their immigration status. Below is a list of resources and general guidelines for interacting with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE).

For assistance in other languages, students can click here to access The Immigrant Defense Project’s Know Your Rights webpage in multiple languages.

Red Cards help individuals assert their rights during encounters with ICE or law enforcement. Red Cards are available in the Office of Student Affairs (Room, C-317), the Wellness Center (Room, C-249), the Women’s Center & LGBTQ+ Hub (Room, MB-08), Casa de Las Americas (Room, M-144), Campus Life (Room, M-115), Student Government Association (Room, M-160) and the Student Information Center (E-Lobby). Red Cards are also available in the Adult Continuing Education Office (Room, C-223).

Red Cards are available in Spanish, French, Chinese, Creole and Korean. Click here for access to “Red Cards” in multiple languages from the Immigration Legal Resource Center. 

Resources

  • The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs offers Know Your Rights booklets in more than 10 languages, including Spanish and Bengali. This page also includes guidance about what to do after a friend or family member is detained by ICE/Immigration.
  • Visit the Immigrant Legal Resource Center to obtain detailed information about creating a Family Preparedness Plan.
  • CUNY’s Office of Undocumented and Immigrant Student Programs includes guidance and resources that can help students stay safe and focused on their educational journey, no matter what their citizenship status is. This page in particular, has a safety plan video in both English and Spanish.
  • We Have Rights empowers individuals with essential knowledge about their legal rights in the United States, offering Know Your Rights guides, videos, and materials in multiple languages to help users navigate interactions with law enforcement, ICE, and other officials during home raids, street stops, or workplace encounters.
  • Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) is a valuable resource for immigrants, providing guidance on their rights during ICE raids or immigration enforcement actions. It covers essential rights like remaining silent, refusing entry without a warrant, and recording interactions with immigration officers.
  • The LaGuardia Community College Foundation offers various financial assistance and student support programs, including the Friedman Fund, for eligible students of any citizenship status to help you achieve your goals.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal agency under the U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its primary responsibilities include enforcing immigration laws, and investigating cross-border criminal activities.

Key functions:

Enforcing Immigration Laws:

  • Conduct arrests, detentions, and deportations
  • Operates detention facilities for individuals awaiting deportation or resolution of their immigration cases

Investigating Cross-Border Crimes:

  • Focuses on crimes such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and counterfeit goods.
  • Partners with other federal and international agencies to address global criminal activities.
  • ICE is often associated with its immigration enforcement role, including raids and detentions, which can impact communities and families. Knowing your rights when interacting with ICE is crucial.
  1. If ICE are at your door
  2. If ICE are inside your home
    • If they enter your home without your permission you can tell them, “I do not consent to you being in my home. Please leave.” Saying this may not stop them but may be beneficial for a future case
    • If ICE starts searching your belongings or rooms you can tell them, “I do not consent to your search.”
    • You can also clearly state: “I am exercising my right to remain silent.”
    • It is legal to document ICE making arrests – film openly not secretly as it is not legal in some states

Additional information can be found here on the Immigrant Defense Project.

  • ICE can enter any public space at your workplace without need any warrant
  • Public spaces can include:
    • Office lobby
    • Supermarket
    • Retail store

The dining area of a restaurant

  • ICE cannot legally enter the private spaces of a workplace unless they have a judicial warrant or the permission of the employer
  • Private spaces can include:

Employee only areas such as break room or storage room

  • Employers can ask ICE to show their identification and/or warrant
  • If you are approached you DO NOT have to answer their questions
  • DO NOT run away as ICE will suspect you and attempt to arrest you

Employer guide for when ICE shows up can be found here

Tools & Resources:

The NYACLU page provides clear, concise guidance for individuals who may encounter immigration officers. This resource is designed to help people understand their rights during an immigration stop, whether in public, at their home, or at their workplace.

The Informed Immigrant website offers vital resources for immigrants facing detention and deportation, including the “Know Your Rights” page, which educates individuals on key actions during ICE raids, such as staying calm, not opening the door without a warrant, asserting the right to remain silent, and providing legal protection advice for family separation or arrest.

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) website offers critical resources for immigrants, including the “What to Do If Arrested or Detained by Immigration” page, which provides step-by-step guidance on responding to ICE or immigration detentions, covering key rights like remaining silent, refusing consent for a search, requesting an attorney, and protecting personal information.

The NILC Employer Guidepdf Created in partnership with the National Employment Law Project, the guide provides employers and employees with practical information on complying with immigration laws while protecting workers’ rights, including handling I-9 forms, responding to ICE audits or raids, and ensuring workplace protections against discrimination.

It has long been and continues to be CUNY policy not to permit law enforcement officials to enter its campuses except to the extent required by law. When law enforcement officers seek access to the LaGuardia campus, they will not be allowed on campus unless they have presented their credentials, stated their reason for coming to the campus, and presented a judicial warrant or court order. Upon presentation of such documentation, campus safety will contact the college’s Counsel for verification of the information provided.  Upon verification, the officers will be escorted to the area identified, as access to the campus will only be provided consistent with the terms of the warrant or court order.  Any representative(s) will be escorted by a campus security officer to ensure that the ICE representative only engages in actions consistent with the warrant/court order.

  1. Protected if you are detained:
    • Power of Attorney – Designate a trusted individual to make decisions for your children, finances, and other critical matters
    • Emergency Contacts – Share contact details of attorneys, advocates, and family members with your loved ones
    • Secure Important Documents – Keep copies of passports, immigration paperwork, and medical records in a safe place accessible to your family
    • Child Care Plans – Make arrangements for your children, including school authorizations and medical care
  2. Tools and Resources:
    • Notifica App – Instantly notify your emergency contacts if detained by immigration authorities here
    • Family Preparedness Plan Guide – Download and complete a Family Preparedness Plan
    • Know Your Rights – Access guides about your rights here

What to do if detained:

  1. Locate Your Loved Ones – Use ICE’s Detention Facility Locator to find loved ones
  2. Seek Legal Help – Here are some organizations that can assist you Brooklyn Defenders, and Immigrant Defense Project

The New York State New American Hotline:

This hotline is available to anyone impacted by ICE raids. You can call Monday through Friday 9am to 8pm. These calls are confidential and anonymous and will remain as such. This hotline has no affiliation with US Citizen and immigration service. No legal advice is offered.

New York State Only – 1-800-566-7636
Outside of New York State – 1-212-419-3737

Additional resources about:

  • ICE raids can be found here
  • ICE FAQ Detainer can be found here

Tools & Resources

The Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A (BKLGA) is a valuable resource for individuals in Brooklyn seeking free or low-cost legal services, offering information on immigration, housing, public benefits, family law, and consumer rights, along with tools like intake forms, eligibility criteria, and emergency legal assistance.

The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) Criminal Immigration Helpline offers a vital resource for immigrants facing criminal charges that may impact their immigration status, providing free, confidential legal advice on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, especially for those at risk of deportation.

The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) Detainer Portal site is a key resource for individuals and legal advocates seeking information on immigration detainers, offering tools to understand, challenge, and resist them, along with practical guidance on protecting immigrants from being held and defending against both criminal and immigration proceedings.

The (NMCLP) Programs page outlines NMCLP’s initiatives supporting low-income individuals and families, focusing on immigration, civil rights, and economic justice, with detailed information about programs protecting immigrant rights, addressing poverty, and advocating for equitable access to resources and legal services.

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