Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is terrorizing communities across the country. Masked federal agents are carrying out militarized operations in our neighborhoods, detaining people based on race, language, religion, or perceived immigration status, with Muslim, Black, and Latino communities being disproportionately impacted.
With the increased presence of federal agents across California, abductions of individuals and families, and fatal encounters with immigration officers—including the recent killing of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and Keith Porter, Jr., in Los Angeles—our communities must be prepared and understand what to do if you encounter ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Below is a list of resources to help you stay informed and protect yourself and your loved ones if you encounter ICE.
*This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Know Your Rights Guides
Understanding your rights is crucial when interacting with ICE, CBP, and other law enforcement officers. Whether you are an American citizen, permanent resident, foreign student, worker on a visa, or of any other status, all other persons residing in the United States are protected by the Constitution and U.S. law, ensuring the right to due process and the freedom to engage in peaceful political activity.
View CAIR-CA’s Know Your Rights With ICE Guides:
What To Do if ICE is in Your Neighborhood
1. Confirm the Location
Make sure to note the location, date, time, and what ICE is doing.
2. Call Your Local Rapid Response Network
Bay Area
- Alameda County: (510) 241-4011
- Contra Costa County: (925) 900-5151
- Marin County: (415) 991-4545 / West Marin: (415) 755-3622
- North Bay Counties (Sonoma, Napa & Solano): (707) 800-4544
- San Francisco County: (415) 200-1548
- San Mateo County: (203) 666-4472
- Santa Clara County: (408) 290-1144
Central & Northern California
- Central Valley Counties (Fresno, San Joaquin, Merced, Stanislaus, and Kern): (559) 206-0151
- Humboldt County: (707) 200-8091
- Mendocino County: (707) 621-8220
- Monterey and San Benito Counties: (831) 204-8082
- Mountain/High Sierra (Alpine, Calaveras, Mono, Tuolumne): (916) 382-0256
- North Coast Counties (Del Norte, Trinity): (916) 382-0256
- Sacramento Valley Counties: (Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba): (916) 382-0256
- Santa Cruz County: (831) 239-4289
Greater Los Angeles Area
- Kern County: (661) 432-2230
- Boyle Heights (LA): (323) 805-1049
- Central Coast Counties (Santa Barbara, Ventura & San Luis Obispo): (805) 870-8855
- Long Beach: (562) 245-9575
- Los Angeles: (888) 624-4752
- Orange County: (714) 881-1558
- San Bernardino/Riverside: (909) 361-4588
- Immigrant Defenders Law Center Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial counties): (213) 833-8283
San Diego
- Immigration Legal Service Coalition of San Diego: (858) 751-7553
- Immigrant Defenders Law Center Rapid Response Legal Resource Hotline (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial counties): (213) 833-8283
3. Document the Incident
You have the right to film public enforcement actions from a distance, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the agents. Documenting incidents can help verify what actually happened, hold agents accountable, and assist families with finding detained loved ones.
If it is safe to do so, document the incident by taking videos or photos, recording license plates, street signs, and landmarks, and writing down badge numbers. You don’t have to answer questions about why you are recording, and you can share the footage afterward. Do NOT physically block agents or interrupt their movements.
What To Do if ICE Tells You To Report in Person
If ICE tells you to report in person, do NOT do so without speaking with an immigration attorney first.
Contact your local CAIR-CA office for assistance:
- Greater Los Angeles Area: (714) 776-1177 (ext. #1)
- Sacramento Valley/Central CA: (916) 441-6269
- San Diego: (858) 278-4547
- San Francisco Bay Area: (408) 986-9874
How To Locate Someone in Immigration Detention
If your loved one is detained and you are not able to get their location from the agent, you can use ICE’s online detainee locator by searching:
- Their A-number & country of birth
- Biographical information, including name, country of birth, and birthday
It generally takes 1–2 days for someone’s name to be entered into ICE’s online system. Once you locate your loved one, you may contact the facility to find out about their visitation hours and restrictions.
A-Number: A unique, nine-digit number assigned to undocumented individuals by ICE or CBP. If your loved one has previously filed an immigration application or was arrested at the border and allowed to enter, this number is likely listed on their immigration documents. If they did not have an A-number before they were detained, they will be assigned one.
How To Identify Immigration Agents
Learning how to identify ICE can help provide accurate reports and protect our communities.
ICE Vehicles
- Immigration officials typically use U.S.-made vehicles that may be labeled on the door or rear with ICE, Homeland Security, or CBP. They also use unmarked cars.
- Vehicles may have U.S. government license plates, though unmarked cars may have no plates at all.
- ICE often uses vehicles with heavily tinted windows.
- Vehicles may also have temporary lights or surveillance.
ICE Uniforms
- ICE and CBP officers may wear street/casual clothes and bulletproof vests.
- Agents may carry firearms, handcuffs, radios, or other law enforcement tools.
- Look for vests that say ICE, HSI, CBP, Police U.S. Border Patrol, Police Homeland Security, or Police Homeland Security Investigations.
No Masking Bill: California recently passed the No Masking Bill (SB 627) that bans law enforcement at all levels from covering their faces with masks/disguises during operations in California, with the exception of medical masks (e.g. N95) and wildfire smoke protection. Masked federal agents have been conducting raids in California cities without badges, IDs, and often using unmarked cars. The passing of SB 627 means that law enforcement must now show who they are and identify themselves for public safety.
How To Talk About ICE With Your Loved Ones
To support meaningful conversations about ICE’s militarized operations in our neighborhoods, we’ve prepared some talking points and tips to help you engage with your friends and family:
When Having a Conversation, Remember To:
- Start with shared values such as:
- Safety
- Fairness
- Due Process
- Preventing violence
- Family stability
- Rule of law (with limits and accountability
- Ask questions that invite reflection, rather than defensiveness:
- “What does ‘doing the right thing’ mean to you here with respect to safety, law, and fairness?”
- “How do you make sure the right person is targeted and families aren’t harmed by mistake?”
- “What would make it not the right thing? What line would be too far?”
If Someone Says: “They Are Only Going After the Criminals.”
ICE is not only targeting people convicted of crimes. According to the Guardian, the largest group of immigrants arrested in the interior and currently detained by ICE—more than 24,000 people—have no criminal record at all. In fact, according to the ACLU, most evidence collected in academic studies shows that immigrants are not more likely, and are probably less likely, to commit crimes than other residents of the U.S.
The act of being unlawfully present in the U.S. is a civil violation of immigration law punishable by deportation—standing alone, it is not a federal crime punishable by jail. Immigration enforcement routinely harms families and communities that pose no threat to public safety.
If Someone Says: “If You’re Here Illegally, That’s on You.”
Actions have consequences, but they should be fair, humane, and proportional. They should not fall hardest on children. In 2025, at least 32 people died in ICE custody amid documented patterns of medical neglect, physical and sexual abuse, prolonged detention, and denial of due process.
The question isn’t “rules or no rules,” but whether the system provides a fair process, accurate decisions, and minimal harm—standards that the current ICE militarized operations fail to meet.
If Someone Says: “Just Let ICE Do Their Job.”
Believing in the rule of law includes holding federal agents accountable under the Constitution. ICE’s authority does not override the constitutional protections against unlawful searches, seizures, and due process violations. Allowing agents to carry out immigration enforcement without oversight or accountability undermines these rights and causes unnecessary harm to our communities.
Individuals have the right, and the responsibility, to document ICE encounters—including filming public enforcement actions.
If Someone Says: “I Don’t Hate Immigrants, I Just Want Them To Come Here Legally.”
ICE is not distinguishing between those who came here legally and those who did not; ICE is detaining people based on race, language, religion, or perceived immigration status.
The U.S. government is currently rolling back the few legal pathways that people have to become lawful residents. People who have been doing their best to follow our very complicated immigration process, which can take years, are being actively targeted. ICE has routinely targeted people going through immigration proceedings. An Associated Press investigation revealed that ICE agents would arrest individuals at courthouses while they attended their immigration hearings.
In 2025, ICE also detained multiple U.S. citizens—including more than a dozen Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico. Some of the U.S. citizens detained by ICE were briefly held for questioning, while some were reportedly detained for hours or days.
Additionally, the Trump administration has issued sweeping anti-immigrant policies impacting countless people who work and reside in the U.S. legally, including revoking the visas of more than 100,000 individuals. The Trump administration also recently expanded its 2025 discriminatory travel ban, which targets primarily Black, Brown, and Muslim-majority countries.
Setting Boundaries
It’s okay to set boundaries if they are celebrating harm or dehumanizing people. If their tone is cruel, you can calmly draw a line:
- “I can talk policy, but I’m not okay with celebrating people suffering.”
- “If we can’t talk about this with basic respect for human beings, I’m going to pause the conversation.”
Additional Tips
Community members can take steps to prepare resources and documentation in advance in case of an immigration emergency:
- Assign an Advocate: Designate a family member or friend with lawful status to communicate with ICE or CBP.
- Tell a Friend: Tell someone when you leave your home, so they know if you go missing.
- Save Important Numbers: Save the number for your local Rapid Response Network, and other important numbers, on your phone.
- Create a Family Plan: Memorize important family members’ phone numbers and, if needed, designate a caregiver for children. Ensure you have basic information for your loved ones including full legal name, date of birth, A-number, and any immigration records.
- Secure Essential Documents: Store important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, immigration documents, medical records, or marriage certificates, for yourself and your family members with a trusted person. Never lie or give false documents to an immigration officer.
- Explore Legal Options: Research trusted immigration attorneys or community organizations that offer immigration legal services. Click here to access the National Immigration Legal Services Directory.
Report an Incident to CAIR
CAIR-CA offers high-quality, free immigration and civil rights legal services to the community. If you require immigration assistance, click here to submit an intake to your local CAIR-CA office, or call:
- Greater Los Angeles Area: (714) 776-1177 (Ext. #1)
- Sacramento Valley/Central CA: (916) 441-6269
- San Diego: (858) 278-4547
- San Francisco Bay Area: (408) 986-9874
