Know Your Rights
Knowledge Is Your First Line of Defense
At Not Guilty Law Group, we believe that an informed community is a protected community. Below are important resources to help you understand your rights during encounters with law enforcement and immigration authorities.
- You do not have to open the door. ICE cannot enter your home without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
- Ask the officer to slide the warrant under the door. An administrative warrant (Form I-200) is not the same as a judicial warrant and does not give ICE the right to enter.
- Remain calm. Do not run, argue, or physically resist.
- You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about your immigration status, where you were born, or how you entered the country.
- Call an attorney immediately.
- Stay calm and be polite, but exercise your rights.
- You have the right to remain silent. Say: “I am exercising my right to remain silent. I want to speak to an attorney.”
- Do not consent to searches of your person, vehicle, or home.
- Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first.
- If you are a non-citizen: Do not discuss your immigration status with police. Do not sign any documents. Ask for an attorney immediately.
- You have the right to ask: “Am I free to leave?” If the officer says yes, walk away calmly.
- You do not have to consent to a search.
- If you are being detained, you have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
- Non-citizens have the same constitutional protections as citizens during police encounters.
