Dear Lassen Indivisible Members,
We are sharing this essential information as a proactive step in community preparedness. While we are not issuing an emergency alert, being informed is always beneficial. We want to ensure all our members and neighbors have the necessary knowledge to respond calmly and correctly to any potential encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement agencies.
As a Lassen Indivisible founding member, Linda White wisely shared: “ICE will eventually get here, and we should be prepared in advance.” We are providing this information as a proactive step to empower you with knowledge so you can respond effectively, not react fearfully. Preparation is power, and knowing your rights is the foundation of community resilience.
Know Your Rights: Responding to Encounters
Your response to an encounter depends on your immigration status, but there are core Constitutional rights that protect everyone. The universal best practice is to remain calm, silent, and non-confrontational after clearly asserting your rights.
For All Individuals (Citizen & Non-Citizen)
The safest way to minimize risk is to assert your rights clearly and then remain silent.
- Maintain Silence: Do not run, argue, or resist. Do not answer questions about your birthplace, how you entered the U.S., or your citizenship status.
- State Clearly: “I am exercising my right to remain silent. I wish to speak to an attorney.”
- Determine Freedom to Leave: If an officer stops you in a public place, ask directly: “Am I free to leave?” If they say yes, walk away calmly and silently.
- Crucial Note: Never lie or provide false documents.
If You Are a U.S. Citizen (Especially if Profiled)
For U.S. citizens who may be stopped due to appearance, name, or other profiling factors, the goal is to clearly and confidently assert your status to bring the encounter to a quick and safe close.
- Assert Your Citizenship: State this clearly and firmly.
- Recommended Script: “I am an American citizen, I know my rights. Can I leave?”
- The Power of Confidence: Responding with clarity and confidence can be key to stopping the encounter from progressing further.
- Documentation and Details: Carrying a copy of your passport or birth certificate can be helpful. It’s also a good idea to memorize key personal details (like your birthplace and hospital) for reference.
Essential Tool: Printable “Red Cards”
These cards are a concise, helpful tool to assert your rights in writing and are safe to show an officer. We strongly encourage you to download, print, and carry these with you as part of your preparedness toolkit. We have five cards available. Let us know if you can’t print out a card and we will see if we can get one to you.
- Printable Red Card (English/Spanish): https://www.ilrc.org/redcards
Community Action: Preparing to Support and Document
An informed and prepared community is a safer community. Here is how we can organize our readiness efforts.
1. Sign Up for the ICE Alert Network
We strongly encourage all members to use this essential tool to both send and receive alerts about ICE activity in our area:
- Sign Up for Alerts: https://www.stopice.net/
2. Rapid Response and Documentation
Knowing the right contacts can help mobilize support and legal resources if an incident occurs.
Please consider safely documenting the scene from a distance and gathering key information: Location, Time, Vehicle details (license plates, government numbers), and Agent descriptions.
3. Volunteer Response Team
If you are willing to join our local deployment team to safely document and offer support, please reply to this email. Your participation helps provide safety in numbers for all community members.
We encourage you to review this helpful information, print your Red Cards, and share this knowledge with your family and neighbors so we can keep our neighbors safe.. We will continue to develop local plans for community readiness and will follow up with additional information as it becomes available.
In Solidarity,
-Gary
