Although the goal of the Federal Government’s ICE program is to find and deport residents who are here illegally and have committed crimes, many people in our local communities are seeing ICE agents take people who did enter legally or  have gained legal status through marriage or other means. There is no certainty that they are all guilty of crimes. Many of us have neighbors who fear they will be picked up and detained, especially if they look as though they are Latino or Asian. 

Fortunately, there are many organizations that exist in Suffolk County that have programs to advise immigrants of their rights and ways to deal with ICE officers safely. A local agency, Sepa Mujer, that serves the Hispanic community with information about health care, jobs, and advocacy, especially for women, has created an Introduction to Safety Planning.  

The Brookhaven League of Voters met with Andrea Antonellis, a paralegal advocate from Sepa Mujer, to learn about the  training that they share with persons who fear detention by ICE. She reminds them that they should always carry their documentation with them — including their alien number (which they would get when they enter the country), their passport if they have one, as well as their medical records and proof of residence.

The advocate advises them that they may be arrested for various reasons, but if they are, they should not resist, but say that they want to speak to a lawyer. ICE agents  might come to their  home — it might be for somebody who lived there before but the best thing to do, if they feel safe, is to be cooperative. If they do not feel safe, they should not open their door and if they can find other ways of communicating, do so, or give the immigration officer one of the red cards to read.

The red cards, in English and Spanish,  are available from many organizations to help people facing questions from an immigration agent. They state clearly, in English and Spanish, that the holder has chosen to exercise their constitutional rights, that, under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the holder has the right to refuse to speak with the agent or answer his questions, or sign or hand him any documents. It states that the holder does not give the agent permission to enter their home, based on the Fourth Amendment, unless the agent has  a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with their name on it, and the holder does not give the agent permission to search any of their belongings. 

If the officers force their way into their home, they should gather their family in a safe place in one room and call their lawyer right away. Also, they should not  sign anything they don’t understand or is not in a language they understand.

Antonellis added it is wise to make a safety plan. Create a secret word that identifies ICE as “code blue.” If  ICE comes to their home, they should text a good friend, “code blue at my house.” The friend will  know that there’s an ICE officer at their home so that if she doesn’t hear from them within an hour or two, she will start gathering the documentation she will need — alien registration numbers, dates of birth, full names, and the country of birth. 

If they are detained they will need an attorney to assist them to sign guardianship papers to protect their dependents, and to arrange for one of their friends to withdraw money from their bank account if they need it for necessities like medicine or food. 

But it’s always very important for them to ask if they are being detained or not. If they say yes, they are being detained, then they have to stay there in the situation and just let them do their job. If they say no, they are not being detained, they can say, okay, am I free to go? If they say yes, then they can walk away.

Red cards can be obtained from many organizations.  Go to the New York Immigrant Coalition  www.nyic.org) which has information about many issues faced by immigrants in New York. 

Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit https://my.lwv.org/new-york/suffolk-county or call 631-862-6860.