How to Help Families Prepare for Immigration Raids and Other Enforcement Actions

Families, providers, and communities must be prepared for immigration raids. We have compiled these resources to help stakeholders and providers support children and families who may be affected by immigration raids. These resources can also help providers keep their programs safe and trusted spaces for the families they serve.

See this spreadsheet for a full list of resources related to immigration raids, including location-specific resources. If you have a resource you would like us to share, please contact Vanessa Meraz.

Know Your Rights and Rapid Response

Everyone has rights, no matter their immigration status. These resources can help to inform immigrants about their rights in interactions with immigration officials and support advocates in preparing for and responding to immigration enforcement actions.

• ACLU: Know Your Rights provides an overview of immigrants’ rights and how to reduce risk in different scenarios, including traffic stops, home raids, and arrests near the border.
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): Resources on Raids includes resources related to Know Your Rights, local rapid response hotlines, a summary of media reports on raids, etc.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): Know Your Rights Information for Students and Families fact sheet with action steps and information to help schools and families prepare for immigration enforcement.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta: Know Your Rights Resources links to Know Your Rights cards and posters.*
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC): Rapid Response Toolkit for advocates to prepare for and respond to immigration raids in their communities.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC): Know Your Rights Toolkit resources for advocates and community members, including Know Your Rights, red cards, family preparedness plans, and a train-the-trainer toolkit to support advocates in holding a Know Your Rights presentation in your community.*
• Mayan League: Indigenous Language Resources Know Your Rights audio resources in Mayan Mam.
• Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and National Immigration Law Center (NILC): Toolkit for Organizations Responding to Mass Worksite Immigration Raids an emergency toolkit for advocates when responding to a worksite raid in their community.

Family Emergency Preparation and Parental Rights

Parents who are apprehended by immigration officials have the right to make decisions about their children’s care before being taken into custody and prior to deportation. These resources will help parents know their parental rights, collect important information and documentation, and make child care arrangements if they are affected by immigration enforcement.

• Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC): Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation a compilation of guides and resources to protect parental rights; includes information about family separation due to detention and deportation, safety planning, and child welfare for families facing deportation.
• Appleseed Network: Protecting Assets and Child Custody in the Face of Deportation comprehensive emergency preparedness plan for immigrant families.

Mental Health Supports

In the aftermath of immigration enforcement, it is vital that caregivers are prepared to address children’s mental health needs. These resources can help parents and practitioners talk to children about traumatic experiences and connect families to mental health clinicians.

• ZERO TO THREE: Supporting Young Children Experiencing Separation and Trauma: Resources for Adults Who Care for Them includes resources for families and caregivers working with children who have experienced trauma, including a state-by-state directory of infant and early childhood mental health specialists who have volunteered to field inquiries and make connections to resources and clinicians.

Provider Preparation and Response

These resources are intended to support direct service providers in preparing for and responding to immigration enforcement and to make their spaces safe and welcoming for immigrant families.

• AFT: Immigrant and Refugee Guide for Educators and School Support Staff guide for educators, school support staff, and service providers working with undocumented immigrant students.
• CICW: Guidelines for Child Welfare Agencies to Prepare for Immigration Enforcement fact sheet to help child welfare agencies prepare and respond to large scale immigration enforcement actions with the goal of preventing unnecessary entry of children into the child welfare system.
• CLASP: Preparing for Immigration Raids: What Early Childhood Stakeholders Can Do up-to-date information on immigration raids and action steps for advocates and providers serving children and youth.
• CLASP: A Guide to Creating “Safe Space” Policies for Early Childhood Programs information on federal agency guidance related to sensitive locations and how programs can design and implement “safe space” policies to safeguard their facilities from immigration enforcement.
• CLASP: Early Care and Education Programs are Sensitive Locations one-page fact sheet for early childhood professionals about the Department of Homeland Security’s sensitive locations policy.
• CLASP: Talking Points On Immigration Enforcement in the Interior for Children, Youth, Early Childhood, and Education Groups to inform organizational statements.
• Community Action Partnership Legal Services, Inc. (CAPLAW): Tips for Responding to ICE Inquiries at Head Start Centers tips to prepare for an unannounced visit from immigration officials. Targeted to Head Start centers, but great information for other providers serving children and youth as well!
• NILC: Health Care Toolkits guide for hospitals, doctor’s offices, and health care providers to know their rights and safeguard their locations against immigration enforcement (requires free registration).
• ParentChild+: Procedures if ICE Knocks on the Door During a Home Visit a sample policy for home visiting programs if home visitors are present during a home raid.

*available in languages other than English and/or Spanish