How to Act During an ICE Raid: Your Rights, Reported Abuses, and the Pressure Driving Aggressive Tactics

• How to Act During a Raid
• Abuses and Tension in Communities
• Know Your Legal Rights

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have become a constant source of fear in immigrant communities across the United States.

These operations, carried out in workplaces or in public areas, are often sudden, leaving many people vulnerable to detention and deportation proceedings without understanding their rights.

Preparing before a raid can be the difference between staying calm and facing serious legal consequences.

Civil-rights experts recommend creating a plan with coworkers and family members, securing important documents, and knowing what to do if ICE agents appear unexpectedly.

How to Prepare for an ICE Raid

Before any operation occurs, immigrants should know that employers are not required to allow agents to enter without a valid judicial warrant.

Keeping essential documents in a safe and accessible place—and informing family members where they are—is a basic preventive measure.

RELATED: Rights and Protections for Immigrants Detained by ICE: What Every Detainee Must Know

It is also recommended to designate a trusted person to care for your children and fill out a “caregiver authorization affidavit” in case you are detained.

In risky situations, it is advised to remain calm, not run, and ask whether you are under arrest; if you are not, you have the right to leave.

What to Do if ICE Detains You

In the presence of immigration agents, the first rule is not to lie and not to provide false documents.

If officers request identification, you should only show it if you have it — and avoid carrying foreign documents that can be used against you.

If you are detained by ICE as an immigrant, it is essential to ask to speak with an attorney and not sign anything without legal advice, according to Consumer Law.

Memorizing contact numbers for family members and your lawyer can help maintain communication, especially if you are transferred far from your community.

Your Rights During an Operation

Everyone in the United States, regardless of immigration status, has constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent.

If agents arrive at your home, do not open the door without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. ICE warrants do not grant permission to enter a residence without consent.

In public spaces, if you suspect the presence of agents, it is best to seek safety indoors, and if you are a citizen, record the situation safely.

Never publish unverified information or interfere with operations, as this could expose you to unnecessary risks, noted Legal Aid At Work.

Reports of Abuses and Aggressive Tactics

In recent months, various organizations have documented cases of abuses during raids, including videos of agents in plain clothes, using unmarked vehicles, and storming Latino neighborhoods.

In Chicago, a recent operation ended in a crash and the use of tear gas, sparking community outrage.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied the abuses, claiming that agents “risk their lives to enforce the law” and that they target “the worst of the worst.”

However, former officials and analysts argue that increasingly aggressive tactics are the result of political pressure to meet deportation quotas imposed by the White House.

The Pressure Behind ICE Raids

Police sources say that the involvement of other agencies — such as the FBI and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — has intensified pursuit efforts in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago.

Former ICE directors like John Sandweg have warned that many of these actions are not focused on dangerous criminals but on increasing arrest numbers.

DHS insists that its agents receive training in “de-escalation tactics” and minimal use of force, although public reports and recordings tell a different story.

In this context, civil organizations and emergency hotlines — such as the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (1-855-435-7693) — offer legal and emotional support to those afraid of being detained.

Protecting yourself begins with information: knowing your rights, having a plan, and understanding that even amid uncertainty, no one loses their dignity or their right to be heard, noted Inmigrant Justice.