This is a transcript of a recent talk which I gave:
Hi, my name is Farhad Sethna. I’m an immigration attorney in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio and in these difficult times I just want to give you some advice as to what to do when an ICE agent visits your home, visits your workplace, or stops you in a public street. So let’s cover those one by one.
First of all, please remember in your home you are protected unless an ICE agent has a Judicial warrant – that is a warrant signed by a judge. They can’t arrest you. Don’t open your door to let them in. You have no reason to open your door. If they show you a warrant, ask them to slide the warrant under your door, ask them to show you their ID – don’t open the door till you’ve seen the warrant, you’ve read the warrant, and you’ve seen their ID. If the warrant is wrong that means it doesn’t have your correct name on it, it’s for somebody else, or it’s not signed by the judge – you don’t need to open the door, and you can tell them that. You can also tell them you don’t wish to speak to them and that they should leave. Finally, you can tell them you don’t want to talk to them at all and that you want to talk to a lawyer. These are your rights and these rights are good whether you are stopped in the workplace, whether you’re stopped on a public street, or whether ICE comes to your home.
Let’s talk a little bit more about what happens in the workplace. If you’re in the workplace, you can ask the ICE agent if you can leave. If they say no, don’t run, don’t fight – stay there. Also tell them you have the right to remain silent. You don’t want to say anything until you have an attorney. Along with that comes the other right: you have a right not to sign any papers. Refuse to sign anything until you have consulted with a lawyer. Also, if papers are in a language that you don’t understand you can insist that you want them in a language you understand before you will accept any documentation. So remember your rights: you have the right to remain silent, you have a right to an attorney, you have a right not to be arrested.
Remember, if the papers don’t exactly say your full, legal name and are not issued by a judge, an administrative warrant is not sufficient to enter your home.
Finally, what if ICE stops you on the street? You have a right to remain silent. You don’t have to tell them who you are, you don’t have to tell them where you’re born, you don’t have to show them any papers. All you can do is say “I don’t want to talk to you. I want to talk to a lawyer”. First, remember that is your right. If you don’t know how to say this, carry a card with you which says that. Those cards are available through my office. They are also available on the web through various other immigrant rights organizations.
The website I have set up which has all of this information is called SaveImmigrantFamiliesUSA.com. Please visit that website for more details about how to protect yourself, your family and your loved ones at this difficult time.
Thank you so much for listening. My name is Farhad Sethna. Again, the website is called SaveImmigrantFamiliesUSA.com and my phone number is 330-384-8000. Thank you, all the best. Let’s stay together and be strong. God bless this country