IMMIGRATION RAIDS ALERT
Prepare for Raids and Protect Yourself!

JANUARY 2016* | Versión en español

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun arresting and detaining Central Americans who are fleeing violence in their home countries and who were ordered deported after January 1, 2014. NILC and other groups strongly oppose this policy and will continue to demand that it be stopped. According to news reports, immigration agents are going to people’s homes to pick them up. It is important to prepare yourself and others for these raids.

The resources listed here will help you prepare for and respond to immigration raids. This alert also describes special protections for detained Salvadorans. Please circulate this information so that our communities can defend themselves.

Report when a raid is happening!

• Call United We Dream’s hotline to report a raid: 1-844-363-1423.
• Send text messages to 877877.
• If it’s possible, take photos and videos, and also take notes on what happened during the raid.

Protections for detained Salvadorans

• Detained Salvadorans may be entitled to special protections under the “Orantes injunction.” This nationwide, permanent court order provides specific rights to nationals of El Salvador who are in immigration detention. More information about the Orantes injunction is available at www.nilc.org/issues/immigration-enforcement/orantesinjunction/.
• The Orantes injunction says that the immigration court proceedings for Salvadorans must take place in the same district in which they were detained, even if they were later transferred to another location.
• It is a violation of the injunction for a Salvadoran to be deported who does not have a final order of removal because he or she is requesting either another credible fear interview or review by an immigration judge of a negative credible fear determination.

Know your rights!

• Read NILC’s tips in English or Spanish on how to prepare for a raid.
• Read resources and booklets in English and Spanish by the American Friends Service Committee and Casa de Maryland.
• Study United We Dream’s infographics in English and Spanish.

Find a person in detention

• Use ICE’s online detainee locator to find an adult who is in immigration custody.
• If you can’t find a person using the online locator, call the local ICE office.

Find legal help

• The immigration courts have a list of lawyers and organizations that provide free legal services: www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers-map. Nonprofit organizations that provide low-cost help can be found at www.immigrationlawhelp.org.

Stay updated

• Organizations that work closely with Central American communities and unaccompanied children include Alianza Americas, KIND (Kids In Need of Defense), Women’s Refugee Commission, and AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association). Visit their websites and follow them on Twitter to get more information.
• Follow @unitedwedream, @NILC, @Not1_More, #Not1More, #Ni1Mas, and @Re4mImmigration on Twitter for updates on the raids.

*Hyperlinks updated February 2019.