Know Your Rights: If ICE Stops You

Six rules. Four sentences to memorize. One card in your wallet. This is the most important article on this site — read it like your future depends on it, because it might.

Last verified: October 2026

Since Haiti's TPS ended on July 27, 2026, fear is everywhere in our community. Fear of a knock on the door. Fear of a traffic stop turning into something bigger. Fear makes people freeze, or talk too much, or sign things they shouldn't.

Here's what fear doesn't know: the U.S. Constitution protects people, not just citizens. Whether you have papers or not, you have rights when dealing with immigration agents and police. Knowing them — really knowing them, cold — is the difference between a bad day and a ruined life.

Memorize the six rules below. Then download our free Know Your Rights wallet card (also available in French and Kreyòl), print it, and keep it on you. Teach it to your family tonight.

The six rules

If they come to your home

• Don't open the door. Talk through the door or a window.
• Ask what they're there for, and ask for an interpreter if you need one — you have the right to understand what's happening.
• Ask to see a warrant signed by a judge, slipped under the door or held to the window.
• If they don't have one, you can refuse entry. Ask them to leave any information at your door.
• If they force their way in anyway, do not resist. Tell everyone in the home to remain silent.
• Afterward, write down everything: badge numbers, names, what was said, what was taken or damaged.

If you're stopped in public or in your car

• Stay calm. Don't run, don't resist, don't argue.
• Ask: "Am I free to leave?" If yes — leave, silently.
• If you're driving and get pulled over: stop safely, turn off the car, turn on the interior light, keep your hands on the wheel. Show your driver's license, registration, and insurance if asked.
• You can refuse a search of your car or your belongings. Say clearly: "I do not consent to a search."
• Passengers have the right to remain silent too, and can ask if they're free to leave.
• If you're a witness to someone else's stop, you have the right to record from a safe distance without interfering.

If you're stopped at work

• Ask if you're free to leave. If so, you may calmly walk out.
• You have the right to refuse a search and the right to remain silent.
• Don't answer questions about where you were born or your immigration status.
• Don't run or hide — it makes everything worse.

Prepare your family BEFORE anything happens

Rights are most powerful when the whole family knows them. Do this tonight:

• Memorize two phone numbers: a trusted family member and an immigration attorney or legal aid hotline. If your phone is taken, memorized numbers are all you have.
• Make a childcare plan: who picks up the kids if you're detained? Write it down. Tell that person. Tell the kids' school.
• Know your A-number (alien registration number, if you have one) and make sure your family knows it too — it's how they can find you if you're detained.
• Keep documents safe but reachable: passports, birth certificates, and a trusted person's contact info somewhere a family member can access.
• Print the wallet card for every adult in the house.

After an encounter: document everything

As soon as you safely can, write down: officer names and badge numbers, patrol car numbers, which agency they were from, what was said, who witnessed it, and any injuries (seek medical care and photograph them). If you believe your rights were violated, you can file a complaint with the agency — and you can contact your local ACLU affiliate for guidance.

If you're detained: what happens next

Getting detained is terrifying. Knowing what comes next makes it survivable:

• You have the right to a phone call. Use it on the numbers you memorized — your family, your attorney or legal aid hotline. If you call a lawyer for legal advice, officers are not allowed to listen in.
• Do not sign voluntary departure. Agents may present it as the quick, easy option — "sign here and you can go home today." What it really means is giving up your right to see a judge and fight your case. Never sign it without an attorney.
• Ask about bond. In some cases, an immigration judge can set a bond amount that lets you go home while your case proceeds. Not everyone qualifies — ask your attorney, don't assume.
• Your family can find you. Tell them to use ICE's online detainee locator with your A-number (alien registration number) and country of birth. This is why the family preparedness plan matters — if they have your A-number, they can find you fast.
• Keep saying it: "I want to remain silent until I speak to a lawyer." Say it at the arrest, at the facility, at every step. Repetition is protection.

At airports and the border, the rules shift

One honest caveat: at international borders and airports, and for people on certain nonimmigrant visas, some of the rules above work differently — officers at ports of entry have broader search and questioning authority. The core rights (remain silent, ask for a lawyer, don't sign) still matter, but the setting is stricter. If you travel internationally, talk to an attorney before you go, not after you're in secondary inspection.

Rights you don't know are rights you don't have. The agents across from you know the rules cold. Now you do too. Kenbe fèm — stay calm, stay silent, and get a lawyer.