Know Your Rights
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. County Agencies will not ask about your immigration status to support federal immigration enforcement. Use the resources below to learn how to protect your rights if you encounter ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or law enforcement (police). The rights described in the resources below apply to both U.S. citizens and immigrants.
For more information on how you and your family can be prepared in case of a possible ICE detention or deportation, visit our Family Preparedness page.
Know Your Rights Guides
- Know Your Rights Guides (in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese) by the Catholic Legal Immigration Nework (CLINIC).
- Know Your Rights video in English and Español by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Covers general Know Your Rights, how to prepare your family in case you are picked up by ICE, how to stay connected to your community in case of ICE detention, and information for parents and sponsors of unaccompanied minors.
- Know Your Rights video (English) (Español) by CAIR Coalition.
- ACLU-MD's What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
- ACLU-MD's Additional Information for Non-Citizens (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
- ACLU-MD's ICE Home Raids (English - PDF) (Español - PDF)
- Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer or a Public Space by American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), in English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi.
- Know Your Rights Information and Printable Flyers by United We Dream.
Know Your Rights Cards to Carry With You
- The Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s Know Your Rights Cards can be cut out and carried in your wallet. If you ever encounter ICE or law enforcement, you can hand them the card to let them know that you are asserting your constitutional rights.
- Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
- Similar Know Your Rights Cards available in additional languages from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) and the National Immigration Law Center.