How to Protect People During ICE RaidsA Rapid Response Action Plan for Faith Communities
Our Faith Calls Us to Act ✝️
Faith traditions call us to welcome the stranger, protect the vulnerable, and love our neighbors.
In the face of renewed ICE enforcement actions and immigration raids, we must be ready to act swiftly, courageously, and in solidarity.
This action plan equips faith communities to respond immediately and meaningfully when immigration enforcement threatens the well-being of undocumented individuals and families in our communities.
- 1. Prepare Know-Your-Rights Materials in Your Faith Space
- 2. Pastoral & Spiritual Care
- 3. Bear Public Moral Witness
- 4. Set Up a Faith-Based Alert Network
- 5. Public Witness & Media Coordination
- 6. Form a Rapid Response Team (RRT)
- 7. Make Your Church a Public Sanctuary Space
- 8. Legal Observer & De-escalation Training
- 9. Partner with Immigration Attorneys and Rights Groups
- 10. Build Long-Term Support Structures
📜 Sample Covenant Statement for Your Church
📘 Know Your Rights: What Everyone Should Know
📄 Documents You Can Print and Share
1. Prepare Know-Your-Rights Materials in Your Faith Space 🧾
Purpose: Ensure undocumented members know their rights in encounters with ICE.
- Distribute materials in multiple languages:
“I Have Rights” Red Card, “Know Your Rights” Flyer, Immigrant Rights Guide, etc. - Post signs at church entrances.
- Keep rights cards available for all attendees.
2. Pastoral & Spiritual Care 🧡
Purpose: Offer comfort, dignity, and hope to those directly impacted.
Designate clergy or pastoral care volunteers to provide:
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Emergency prayer or blessings
- Funeral or detention visit ministry
Provide trauma-informed care and mental health resources.
3. Bear Public Moral Witness ✊
Purpose: Make visible the sacred duty to protect all people.
- Preach regularly about immigration justice and hospitality.
- Display visible signs of solidarity (“We Are All God’s Children,” “No Human Is Illegal”).
- Join local campaigns for driver’s licenses, DACA protection, and immigration reform.
- Show up at city council meetings and rallies with moral leadership.
4. Set Up a Faith-Based Alert Network 📲
Purpose: Mobilize people quickly when enforcement is happening.
- Use WhatsApp, Signal, or GroupMe to alert congregants and allies.
- Include clergy, legal observers, interpreters, and media contacts.
- Coordinate with immigrant-led organizations and interfaith partners.
- Assign someone to monitor social media and community reports.
Suggested template text: “🚨 ICE activity reported at [location]. Rapid Response Team deploying. All others, please hold. Legal support needed.”
5. Public Witness & Media Coordination 🙌🏽
Purpose: Shift the narrative, apply public pressure, and offer moral clarity.
- Train clergy and lay leaders to speak to the media and at protests.
- Issue public statements denouncing raids and reaffirming sanctuary commitments.
- Document ICE actions (video, written logs) for accountability.
- Host vigils, press conferences, and prayer services during or after raids.
6. Form a Rapid Response Team (RRT) 🚨
Purpose: To act quickly when an ICE raid is reported or underway.
Who: A dedicated group of volunteers trained in legal observation, communications, and hospitality.
Responsibilities:
- Monitor reports of raids and verify activity.
- Show up at raid locations (if safe) as moral witnesses.
- Support affected families before, during, and after enforcement.
- Coordinate shelter, transportation, and legal aid.
Start today: Build a team of 5–10 trusted volunteers. Create a group text/email chain and assign rotating “on-call” status.
7. Make Your Church a Public Sanctuary Space 🧭
Purpose: Provide a place of refuge for those at risk.
- Open your space: Clearly communicate that your house of worship is a safe place.
- Post signage: “Sanctuary – All Are Welcome – No ICE Without a Warrant.”
- Train greeters/ushers: Teach how to receive someone fleeing enforcement.
- Prepare space: Identify safe rooms, private entrances, and support areas.
Legally, ICE cannot enter houses of worship without a judicial warrant. Most ICE warrants are administrative and do not grant entry.
8. Legal Observer & De-escalation Training 🛑
Purpose: Protect individuals without interfering with law enforcement.
- Attend or host a “Legal Observer Training” through ACLU or similar groups.
- Train volunteers in de-escalation, non-violent presence, and documentation.
- Never physically block ICE, but always document, witness, and support.
9. Partner with Immigration Attorneys and Rights Groups ⚖️
Purpose: Ensure access to legal help and know-your-rights resources.
- Hold “Know Your Rights” trainings in your congregation.
- Connect undocumented members to legal clinics and pro bono attorneys.
- Keep a list of trusted immigration attorneys ready.
- Store “emergency documents” for individuals/families (power of attorney, child care plans, etc.).
10. Build Long-Term Support Structures 🛠️
Purpose: Sustain protection beyond one-off raids.
- Establish a solidarity fund for legal fees, bail, or family emergencies.
- Create a host home network for emergency housing.
- Work toward accompaniment ministries for ICE check-ins and court hearings.
- Offer ongoing advocacy training to equip your faith community.
📜 Sample Covenant Statement for Your Church
“As a community of faith, we commit to protecting our undocumented neighbors through acts of sanctuary, solidarity, and justice. We will not stand by in the face of unjust enforcement. We will act, love, and speak as our faith commands — with courage and compassion.”
📘 Know Your Rights: What Everyone Should Know
🛑 When ICE Comes to the Door
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO OPEN THE DOOR unless ICE has a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Most ICE warrants are administrative and do not give them legal permission to enter a home.
Say: “I do not consent to your entry. Do you have a judicial warrant signed by a judge?”
✋ You Have the Right to:
- Remain silent. You do not have to answer any questions about your immigration status.
- Refuse entry without a judicial warrant.
- Speak to a lawyer.
- Not sign anything without legal counsel.
| Signed by a judge? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No – signed by ICE official only |
| Grants home entry? | ✅ Yes (if for your address) | ❌ No |
| Should you open door? | ✅ Yes (with warrant under door) | ❌ No – do not open door |
📄 Documents You Can Print and Share
1. “I Have Rights” Red Card
This is small card undocumented people can carry in wallet or pocket. All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The red cards give examples of how people can exercise these rights.
2. “Know Your Rights When Confronted by ICE” Sign for Homes or Churches
A flyer that outlines 5 key reminders about your constitutional rights when confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Everyone—regardless of immigration status—has rights in this country.
3. Immigrants’ Rights Guide
Regardless of your immigration status, you have guaranteed rights under the Constitution. Learn more here about your rights as an immigrant, and how to express them.