Staying safe around immigration enforcement

Pick what's happening. You get the few things that help most, each with a real phone number. Nobody has to read all of it.

This page keeps nothing about you: no sign-in, no form, no cookies, no tracking. Your phone still keeps its own history and call log. General information, not legal advice. Checked: October 16, 2026.

What's happening right now?

If you are in immediate physical danger, call 911. Community organizations run the hotline on these pages; the government does not.

Right now

First, call the Los Angeles Rapid Response hotline

Call (888) 624-4752

A call shows in your phone's call history.

People from community organizations answer. CHIRLA runs the line, and LA County's Office of Immigrant Affairs lists it. Say where you are, what you see, and the time. They check what's reported, can send legal observers, and can point you to a lawyer. Checked October 16, 2026.

If it's happening to you

  • You can stay silent. Say it out loud: "I want to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer."
  • Sign nothing you don't understand. Ask for it in your language.
  • Don't run. Don't argue. Keep your hands where they can be seen.
  • If agents are at your door, you don't have to open it. Ask them to slide the warrant under the door. In general, only a warrant signed by a judge, with your name and address on it, or your permission, lets them in. A form signed by an ICE officer does not. This may be different if you have a final order of removal; see a lawyer.
  • Don't lie, and never show false papers. If you have valid immigration papers, the law may require you to carry them.
  • A printed "red card" says all of this for you. You hand it over instead of speaking. Paper beats a phone here: ilrc.org/red-cards, free, many languages.

Source: Immigrant Legal Resource Center know-your-rights materials (ilrc.org). Checked October 16, 2026.

If you have a final order of removal

In January 2026, a leaked 2025 ICE memo was reported to tell officers they could enter the homes of people with final orders using only an ICE form, without a judge's warrant. Immigrant-rights lawyers say it has no legal basis. It is being challenged in federal court, and the government told that court in May 2026 that it had paused the policy. In the Los Angeles area, a 2024 court order has barred ICE from coming to a home to arrest someone by knocking and asking to talk, without a judge's warrant (ACLU of Southern California; ILRC). Whether it still applies, and whether it covers people with final orders, is being checked. What this means for you depends on your case: talk to a lawyer now. If agents force their way in, don't resist. Say "I do not consent," stay silent, and afterwards write down what happened and call the hotline.

Being re-checked. Sources: National Immigration Project (January 2026); court records for the challenge; ACLU of Southern California and ILRC on the 2024 order.

If it's happening to someone else

  • Stay calm and keep some distance. Don't step between agents and the person. Don't touch anyone.
  • Write down the time, the place, how many agents, what they wore, and any vehicle details.
  • California law (Penal Code §148(g)) says that filming officers in a public place where you have a right to be is not, by itself, obstruction. You don't have to film, and filming can draw attention to you. If you do, keep the person's face and name off social media, and tell the hotline what you saw.
  • If you know the person, ask for their name and date of birth. A lawyer can find them with those.

Afterward

Tell the hotline what you saw. They check reports and know what to do with them. A rumor travels faster than help and sends a street into hiding for nothing. If someone was taken, go to .

Before an appointment or court date

Arrests at USCIS appointments have been reported in some places (ABC7, Los Angeles, December 2025; AILA policy brief, July 2025); we found no report of arrests at a Los Angeles biometrics office (checked October 16, 2026). Most appointments pass without incident, and missing one has real consequences. The point is to decide with open eyes, with a lawyer if you can.

1. Know whether you may be at higher risk

Any of these can raise the risk, according to a community legal flyer circulated in Los Angeles in October 2026 (source being confirmed):

  • A current or past order of removal.
  • Entering the country without authorization.
  • An outstanding warrant, or recent contact with police.
  • A misdemeanor or felony conviction, including DUI, domestic violence or assault.
  • A missed immigration appointment, for any reason.
  • No longer living at the address USCIS has for you.

2. Check your case

If your case is in immigration court, the court's own system shows your next date and your status. You need your A-number, the nine-digit number on your immigration papers, and your nationality.

Check my court case (ACIS) Court hotline 1-800-898-7180

Official: Executive Office for Immigration Review. The phone line runs 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. Checked October 16, 2026.

3. Ask a lawyer whether to reschedule

Only a lawyer who knows your case can weigh this. If you decide to, USCIS lets you move a biometrics appointment through your USCIS online account, at least 12 hours before, for good cause. Inside 12 hours, or after a missed appointment, call USCIS at 800-375-5283. If you don't show and haven't rescheduled, USCIS may treat the case as abandoned and may deny it.

USCIS, "Preparing for your biometric services appointment" (English and Spanish). Checked October 16, 2026.

4. Don't go alone

Bring someone. Court Watch LA goes with people to immigration court and ICE check-ins when asked. Ask at least 72 hours ahead; they can't promise a volunteer every time.

Court Watch LA (323) 872-0411

courtwatchla.org. Checked October 16, 2026.

5. What to carry, and what the person with you should carry

  • Your emergency contacts, on paper.
  • A list of any medications you need.
  • If you have a lawyer or an accredited representative: a signed Form G-28. It makes them your representative before USCIS, ICE and CBP. Only attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives can file it.
  • ICE Form 60-001 lets the government share your records with a person or group you name: a lawyer, a congressional office, the news. It doesn't let anyone into an ICE office with you, and it doesn't make them your lawyer. It lasts 90 days and needs a witness.
  • If you're a parent: your caregiver's affidavit (see the family plan).

G-28: uscis.gov. Form 60-001: ice.gov/forms (Spanish translation). Checked October 16, 2026.

A plan for your family

One evening at the kitchen table. The plan is for the people who love you, so they can act fast instead of guessing.

1. Two people, two numbers

Pick two adults you trust. Everyone in the family memorizes both phone numbers, because phones get taken. Each of the two gets a copy of this plan.

2. Who cares for the children

California's Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit lets an adult you choose enroll your child in school and agree to school-related medical care. A relative who fills in the extra items can agree to most medical and dental care. The caregiver signs it: no parent signature, no notary, no court. It is not custody, and a parent can cancel it. The form says it does not expire; the courts' self-help page suggests a new one each year. Give the caregiver the original.

Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit (PDF)

Official California courts form, revised January 1, 2026. A Spanish version is for reading; sign the English form. Checked October 16, 2026.

3. One folder

Copies of: identity documents, your A-number, any immigration papers, the children's birth certificates, medical information, and the names of your lawyer and your consulate. Originals somewhere safe. One copy with one of your two people.

4. Let someone speak for you

ICE Form 60-001 lets the government share your records with a person or group you name (a lawyer, a congressional office, the news) if you are detained. It doesn't let anyone into an ICE office with you, and it doesn't make them your lawyer. It lasts 90 days and needs a witness. A signed Form G-28 makes a lawyer or accredited representative your representative. Fill in what applies. Copies go in the folder.

ice.gov/forms (Spanish); uscis.gov. Checked October 16, 2026.

5. Know who you'd call

Write the hotline and a legal-aid number into the plan: (888) 624-4752 for the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network. Legal help is listed under "Someone I know has been detained".

A lawyer can add a power of attorney for money and property. Groups like Court Watch LA help families write plans. You don't have to do this alone.

Someone has been detained

1. Find where they are

ICE's online locator shows where a person is held. Search by A-number and country of birth, or by exact name and country of birth. It can run up to eight hours behind, it leaves out people under 18, and a brand-new arrest may not show yet. If you can't find someone, call ICE's information line.

ICE Online Detainee Locator ICE information line 1-888-351-4024

Official: locator.ice.gov and its FAQ. Checked October 16, 2026.

2. Call the hotline and a legal-aid group

Rapid Response (888) 624-4752 CHIRLA (213) 353-1333

Legal-aid organizations in Los Angeles (numbers checked October 16, 2026):

  • Immigrant Defenders Law Center: 213-634-0999; its Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline (213) 833-8283, Monday to Friday, 9 to 4.
  • Public Counsel: 213-385-2977, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, by appointment.
  • Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project: (213) 251-3505.
  • CARECEN Los Angeles: (213) 385-7800.

The hotline can also refer you. Nobody on this list charges for a referral.

3. Call their consulate

Consulates can visit detained citizens and help with documents. Call the consulate of the person's country in Los Angeles. Two, checked October 16, 2026:

  • Mexico: Consulado General de México en Los Ángeles (213) 219-0175; the national protection line CIAM 520-623-7874.
  • Guatemala: (213) 900-1098, Monday to Friday 8 to 3, emergency option 2.

Other consulates' numbers will be added as they're checked.

4. Watch out for people who want money

Nobody can promise release for a fee. Bond, if there is one, is set by a judge or by ICE and paid to the government. Be careful with anyone who says otherwise, including a "notario".

5. Take care of what they left

Children, pets, medication, a job, rent. This is where neighbors matter most. Say what's needed out loud, to one person.

If you want to help

Learn the rights, then teach them at your own table

Print red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ilrc.org/red-cards; many languages). Give them to neighbors who want them. Don't assume who does.

Be one of someone's two people

Offer to hold a family's plan and their folder. Memorize their number. Know the children's school.

Volunteer where it's organized

The Rapid Response Network trains legal observers. Court Watch LA trains people to go with neighbors to court and appointments. Both start with a training, not with showing up.

Rapid Response (888) 624-4752 Court Watch LA (323) 872-0411

Tell the hotline, not the group chat

If you see something, the hotline checks it and knows what to do with it. An unchecked warning empties a street and a school for nothing, and teaches people to stop listening.

Don't

  • Don't post faces, names or addresses.
  • Don't confront agents or block vehicles. You can be arrested, and it doesn't help the person.
  • Don't promise anything you can't do.

Your rights

These belong to everyone in the United States, whatever their status.

1. You can stay silent

You don't have to answer questions about where you were born, your status, or how you entered. Say it out loud: "I choose to remain silent."

2. You don't have to open your door

Ask to see a warrant through the window or under the door. In general, only a warrant signed by a judge, with your name and address on it, or your permission, allows entry. A form signed by an ICE officer (an administrative warrant) does not. This may be different if you have a final order of removal; see a lawyer.

If you have a final order of removal

In January 2026, a leaked 2025 ICE memo was reported to tell officers they could enter the homes of people with final orders using only an ICE form, without a judge's warrant. Immigrant-rights lawyers say it has no legal basis. It is being challenged in federal court, and the government told that court in May 2026 that it had paused the policy. In the Los Angeles area, a 2024 court order has barred ICE from coming to a home to arrest someone by knocking and asking to talk, without a judge's warrant (ACLU of Southern California; ILRC). Whether it still applies, and whether it covers people with final orders, is being checked. What this means for you depends on your case: talk to a lawyer now. If agents force their way in, don't resist. Say "I do not consent," stay silent, and afterwards write down what happened and call the hotline.

Being re-checked. Sources: National Immigration Project (January 2026); court records for the challenge; ACLU of Southern California and ILRC on the 2024 order.

3. You don't have to sign

Sign nothing without a lawyer. Some papers give up your right to a hearing. Don't lie, and never show false papers; if you have valid immigration papers, the law may require you to carry them.

4. You can ask for a lawyer

You have the right to speak with one. The government does not provide a free lawyer in immigration cases. That is what the legal-aid groups are for, and the hotline can connect you.

5. You can carry a card that says all this

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center's red card puts these rights in writing, so you hand it over instead of speaking. Free to print in many languages at ilrc.org/red-cards.

Sources: Immigrant Legal Resource Center know-your-rights materials (ilrc.org); EOIR on lawyers at no cost to the government. Checked October 16, 2026.

General information for the public, not legal advice. Reading this page does not make you a client of anyone, and Neighbors Gathering is not a law firm or an immigration consultant. Nobody here can tell you what to do in your own case; for that, talk to an immigration lawyer or a DOJ-accredited representative. The hotline and legal-aid groups listed are independent organizations; we don't run them or vouch for their advice. Checked on October 16, 2026. Rules and numbers change. If something here is wrong, write to love@neighborsgather.com. En español: the button at the top (a draft, under review).

From Neighbors Gathering, a nonprofit in Los Angeles. This guide is free, and always will be.