What to Do If ICE Comes to Your Door

Everyone in the US, regardless of immigration status, has constitutional rights. Knowing them before an encounter helps you stay calm and protect yourself and your family.

1. Do not open the door right away

Opening the door can be treated as permission to enter. Talk through the closed door.

2. Ask for a warrant

Ask the agents to slide the warrant under the door or hold it to a window. Check:

• Judicial warrant: issued by a court and signed by a judge, naming your address. A judicial search warrant authorizes entry and search of the places listed (Fourth Amendment).
• Administrative warrant: ICE forms such as I-200 or I-205, signed by an immigration officer, not a judge.

Historically, ICE training treated administrative warrants as not authorizing entry into a home without consent. A 2025 ICE memo, reported in 2026, states that officers may forcibly enter the home of a person with a final order of removal using an I-205 administrative warrant (NBC News). The memo has been criticized as violating the Fourth Amendment and is subject to legal challenge (Brennan Center). Rules in this area may change quickly.

3. You can stay silent

You have the right to remain silent and do not have to answer questions about where you were born or your immigration status. Say: "I am using my right to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer."

4. Do not lie or show false documents

Lying or presenting false papers can create new criminal and immigration problems.

5. Do not sign anything

Do not sign documents, especially ones agreeing to leave the US, without first speaking to a lawyer. You may be giving up the right to a hearing.

6. Do not run or resist

If agents enter, do not physically resist. State clearly that you do not consent to a search, and watch and remember what happens.

7. Document the encounter

Write down agent names, badge numbers, the time, what was said, and any damage. Ask witnesses to write what they saw.

Plan ahead

• Memorize the phone number of a family member and an immigration lawyer.
• Make a family plan for children, including who can pick them up; see guardianship.
• Keep copies of important documents with someone you trust.
• Know your A-number and any pending applications.

If someone is detained, see what happens after ICE detention. Contact an immigration lawyer as soon as possible.

Sources

1. Cornell Law School LII: Fourth Amendment
2. NBC News: ICE says officers can forcibly enter homes without judicial warrants (2025 memo)
3. FindLaw: ICE warrants vs. judicial warrants
4. Brennan Center: DHS warrantless home entry memo's Fourth Amendment problem