The Trump Administration has repeatedly stated that they are creating the largest deportation force this country has ever seen. They have also made it clear that they do not intend to follow the rule of law in carrying out the removal of immigrants on a massive scale. This administration is instilling fear, creating chaos, and weaponizing the government against immigrant communities to effectuate its plans.

The administration’s deportation system counts on people not knowing, not exercising, and not defending their rights so that ICE can detain and deport people as swiftly as possible. To interrupt the rapid detention-to-deportation pipeline, knowing your rights, responses, and recourses is crucial:

• Everyone in the United States has rights under the United States Constitution, regardless of immigration status.
• How you respond to an encounter with ICE is not one size fits all; it will depend on several considerations, including your immigration status, where the interaction takes place, and your personal goals.
• If your rights are violated, or you are detained by ICE, you should know the recourses and options available to you to make informed decisions about your immigration case and how to defend your rights.

Innovation Law Lab has developed this KYRRR resource for immigrants and supporting communities to both (1) know your rights and (2) understand your options beyond those rights, recognizing the limitations of rights and the real possibility that they may be violated.

The goal is to help build knowledge so that potentially impacted individuals can make informed decisions about how to respond in the event of an ICE intrusion. To facilitate this process, the end of the guide includes a tool to develop a personal response plan to prepare for ICE encounters and know your options based on your individual circumstances.

If you have questions about this guide, please contact Rachel Landry, Staff Attorney at Innovation Law Lab, rachel@innovationlawlab.org, or Isa Peña, Director of Strategy at Innovation Law Lab, isa@innovationlawlab.org. 

This toolkit is intended as a starting point to provide general information on legal rights, responses, and recourses; it does not provide legal advice. You should always consult with an attorney for the best legal advice about your individual immigration situation. If you are an Oregon resident, we recommend enrolling with Equity Corps of Oregon, which provides free legal representation to eligible noncitizens in immigration proceedings.