Worksite Raids Resistance & Response – TIRRC & NILC Webinar Training Series

During Trump’s first term, workplace immigration raids upended communities, separated families, and resulted in the arrest of thousands of workers, many of whom were victims of labor abuse and exploitation. And now, the Administration has made clear that it plans to resume large-scale, worksite immigration raids in its second term. To respond effectively, we need strong networks in place to engage in effective and holistic raids resistance and response strategies to protect our communities, members, and neighbors.

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) are holding a seven-part webinar training series on workplace raids resistance and response based in part on our experience responding to the 2018 raid at the Southeastern Provision meatpacking plant in Bean Station, Tennessee.

The trainings will cover all facets of raids response from a power-building perspective and will be led by speakers with on-the-ground experience responding to workplace raids. The series is designed for community organizers, labor advocates, legal professionals, and other stakeholders committed to supporting workers and affected communities in the aftermath of workplace raids. You can view the descriptions of the webinar sessions below. We will be updating this page with links to the recordings on an ongoing basis.

1. Developing a Holistic Raids Response Strategy – February 5, 2025

This training will focus on developing strategies for responding to workplace raids, grounded in community-centered organizing and long-term power-building. The session will cover key components of raids response including identifying team roles and responsibilities, creating efficient intake and communication systems, building strong local and national partnerships, and ensuring that the response is grounded in the needs and leadership of the affected community. Drawing on the experience of responding to a large-scale worksite raid in Tennessee in 2018, panelists will share some of the principles that guided their approach to raids response as well as lessons learned. Read our toolkit, created with TIRRC, on Lessons from East Tennessee: A Toolkit for Organizations Responding to Mass Worksite Immigration Raids.

Speakers:

• Stephanie Teatro, formerly with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Camila Herrera, formerly with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Ana Gutierrez, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Jessie Hahn, National Immigration Law Center

Click here to access the recording.

2. Scaling Up Short-Term Immigration Legal Defense Post-Raid – February 26, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will cover systems for addressing immediate immigration legal needs post-raid, including establishing a hotline for families, identifying their immediate needs, best practices for intake and data entry, locating detained workers, liaising with consulates, and working with immigration attorneys on bond and deportation defense. The session will also highlight the importance of on-the-ground coordination, especially in the first chaotic days after the raid, and the need for consistent communication and support to both detainees and their families.

Speakers:

• Nayely Pérez-Huerta, Southeast Immigrant Rights Network
• Amelia Steadman McGowan, University of Arkansas School of Law (formerly with the Mississippi Center for Justice)
• Mark Heller, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Ohio
• Ingrid Nava, Service Employees International Union (formerly with Greater Boston Legal Services)

Click here to access the recording.

3. Communicating About the Raid to Build Power and Agency – March 12, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will cover rapid response communications and media strategies post-raid to platform affected families and communities and their message, including creating a media plan, preparing spokespeople, drafting press statements, and avoiding communications pitfalls. Drawing from real-world experiences, the session will provide practical strategies for navigating high-pressure situations, coordinating with legal and organizing efforts, and building long-term relationships with the media to sustain public awareness and drive meaningful action. Panelists will address how to manage media narratives and maximize community engagement to create a powerful, unified message in times of crisis.

Speakers:

• Shuya Ohno, Democracy Fund (formerly with the Advancement Project, Community Change Action, and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition)
• Hamp Price, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Juan Gastelum, National Immigration Law Center

Click here to access the recording.

4. Investigating & Tackling Labor & Employment Abuses – April 2, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will focus on worker rights advocacy and litigation in the aftermath of a raid, including screening for labor violations, intake strategies, collaborating with state and federal labor agencies, and deciding when to litigate. Panelists will discuss their experiences utilizing worker rights strategies in the raids response context, such as filing administrative claims, invoking the DHS-DOL deconfliction MOU, leveraging collective bargaining agreements, and filing employment litigation. Collectively, these strategies can support a powerful, worker-centric collaboration between workers, organizers, lawyers, and unions seeking justice for affected workers.

Speakers:

• Julia Solórzano, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (formerly with the Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Sarai King, Service Employees International Union (formerly with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union)
• Audrey Richardson, Greater Boston Legal Services
• Spring Miller, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

5. Investigating & Tackling Civil Rights Violations – April 16, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will cover how to identify and address civil rights violations committed by law enforcement agents during immigration raids. Using as a model the federal civil rights case that was filed in response to the 2018 ICE raid in Bean Station, TN, Zelaya v. Hammer, panelists will discuss gathering evidence, developing legal theories, identifying and preparing plaintiffs, filing federal tort claims and FOIA requests, as well as navigating the intricacies of filing the Complaint, discovery, class certification, and settlement.

NOTE: This session will not be recorded, but slides will be available upon request. There will be interpretation between English and Spanish.

Speakers:

• Meredith Stewart, Jobs to Move America (formerly with the Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Michelle Lapointe, American Immigration Council (formerly with the National Immigration Law Center)
• Norma Ventura, California Rural Legal Assistance (formerly with the Southern Poverty Law Center)

6. Navigating Intersections with Criminal Law & the Criminal Defense Bar – April 23, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will cover what to do when the raid results in workers being criminally charged (e.g., identity theft, illegal reentry) and how liaising with the criminal defense bar can be a force multiplier in a raids response strategy.

7. Being an Organizational Plaintiff in a Raid-Related Case – May 7, 2025 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT

This session will cover what it means to be an organizational plaintiff in a raid-related case (e.g., civil rights, FOIA), including the benefits of legal privileges protecting communications between membership organizations and legal organizations, the basics of organizational standing, the life of a case/what to expect, and an honest assessment of the risks and benefits of being an organizational plaintiff.