Your Rights on the Street

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General information, not legal advice. These guides are written by the community, laws vary by state, and policies change. For advice about your own situation, talk to an immigration lawyer (how to find a real one, free if needed).

Stopped on the street or in public? Stay calm. Do not run. Running or panicking can be used against you, and it escalates the situation.

The first question

Ask: "Am I free to leave?"

• If they say yes: walk away calmly. Do not run.
• If they say no: you are being detained. Say: "I am exercising my right to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer." Then stop talking.

Your rights, whatever your status

• You may remain silent. You do not have to answer where you were born, your status, or how you entered the country. Say out loud that you are exercising this right, then stay silent. Silence alone is not consent, but casual answers can be used against you.
• Do not lie and never show false documents. Both create new, serious problems. Saying nothing is always safer than saying something untrue.
• Do not consent to a search. Say: "I do not consent to a search." Officers may pat you down for weapons anyway. Do not resist, just state your non-consent.
• In some states, local police (not ICE) can require you to give your name when they detain you. Giving a name is different from answering questions about status.
• If you have valid immigration documents, federal law says carry them. If you are undocumented, do not carry foreign documents that reveal your country of birth, and do not hand anything over voluntarily.

If ICE arrests you

• Say you want a lawyer, and sign nothing without one. See If You Are Detained.
• Try to stay calm and memorize what is happening: how many agents, names, badge numbers, vehicles.
• If you can, tell someone where you are being taken, or shout your name and a phone number to a trusted bystander.

If you are watching it happen

You have the right to observe and record in public from a safe distance. See If You Witness a Raid and Recording Incidents Safely.