Amid reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to target thousands of undocumented immigrants for deportation in the coming days, HuffPost has gathered information that undocumented people and those who want to support them should know.
The New York Times first reported that ICE is planning raids beginning Sunday and lasting multiple days in which it plans to arrest thousands of undocumented immigrants in at least 10 major cities across the country.
Agents plan to target at least 2,000 people who have been ordered deported, the Times said, citing two unnamed Department of Homeland Security officials and one former one.
ICE told HuffPost that it “will not offer specific details related to enforcement operations.”
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday, calling for any planned raids to be canceled. It argued that most undocumented immigrants facing arrest have not been given proper notice to appear before legal proceedings to make their case for seeking asylum.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), have been sharing immigrant advocates’ “know your rights” campaigns, so undocumented people are aware of their legal rights in case of an ICE arrest.
Here’s what to know if you’re undocumented or want to help those targeted:
The raids will target specific people ― but others may be at risk
The details of ICE’s operation to arrest undocumented immigrants in multiple cities are still in flux, per the Times. But officials said agents would be targeting immigrants who have been given orders of removal, including some for not having appeared in court.
The raids may also involve “collateral” arrests ― meaning that agents could detain immigrants at the scene of an arrest, even if they were not specifically targeted.
The operation is expected to take place in the following cities, an immigration official told CNN: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.
Department of Homeland Security officials also told the Times that those targeted are likely to have crossed the border in recent years, as the Trump administration gave notice to some immigrants earlier this year to report to an ICE office and leave the country after their cases were expedited last fall.
ICE told HuffPost that it “prioritizes” deportations of undocumented immigrants who “pose a threat to national security [or] public safety” and noted that most arrests last year were of people with criminal charges or convictions or who had unlawfully reentered the U.S. after being removed.
“However, all of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and ― if found removable by final order ― removal from the United States,” the agency added.
If you’re undocumented, know your rights
If ICE officers come to your home, don’t open the door, according to the ACLU. Agents can’t come into your house unless you let them in or they have a search warrant signed by a judge. Ask officers to pass any warrants under the door, and check that it is a judicial search warrant ― not just an arrest warrant, as that’s not enough ― and that it’s signed by a judge.
If they come in anyway, don’t physically resist arrest. Say “I do not consent to your entry” and say you have a right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. Do not sign any papers without seeing a lawyer, as these may be papers asking you to consent to your own removal.
If you’re a concerned neighbor, know how you can help
Do not interfere physically in an arrest, but you can document it. You have a right to take photos, video or notes on what happened, as well as to ask for officers’ badge numbers.
You can call local “rapid response” hotlines to report ICE activity and enforcement actions.
This article has been updated with a list of cities where ICE is expected to conduct arrests.