The following information is produced by the ACLU of Oregon for educational purposes only. This is not intended to be and is not a substitute for legal advice.
IF LAW ENFORCEMENT ASKS ABOUT YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS:
- You have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with police, immigration agents, or other officials. Anything you tell an officer can later be used against you in immigration court.
- If you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your immigration papers, you must show them if you have them with you. This requirement only applies to immigration agents. You do not have to show any documents to local or state police, except that you do have to show a valid drivers’ license if police pull you over for a traffic violation.
- If the police or an immigration agent asks if they can search you, you have the right to say no. Agents generally do not have the right to search you or your belongings without your permission or a warrant.
- If you’re over 18 and are not a U.S. citizen, carry your papers with you at all times. If you don’t have them, tell the officer that you want to remain silent, or that you want to consult a lawyer before answering any questions.
For more general Immigrants' Rights Know Your Rights information and resources, click here.
The ACLU has joined forces with Brooklyn Defender Services to create and distribute a series of powerful and informative videos based on true stories to provide real life action points for what to do when ICE is outside our doors, is in our homes, stops us in our communities, and/or arrests us.
The videos are voiced in multiple languages by an all-star cast of influencers and activists, including: Jesse Williams (English), Diane Guerrero (Spanish), Kumail Nanjiani (Urdu), Linda Sarsour (Arabic), Edwidge Danticat (Haitian Creole), Katya Lee (Russian), and Xiren Wang (Mandarin).
