What to Do If ICE Raids Your Workplace

Worksite enforcement operations can be chaotic. Knowing your rights in advance helps you avoid mistakes that make your situation worse.

If agents arrive

• Stay calm and do not run. Running can be used to justify detention.
• Remain silent. You can say: "I want to remain silent. I want to talk to a lawyer." You do not have to say where you were born or how you entered the US (Fifth Amendment).
• Do not lie about your status and do not show false documents. That can lead to criminal charges.
• Do not sign anything, especially a form agreeing to voluntary departure, without speaking to a lawyer.
• Carry only valid documents. If you have a lawyer's card, keep it with you.

Warrants and access to the workplace

Agents need a judicial warrant or the employer's consent to enter non-public areas of a business. Public areas, such as a lobby or store floor, can usually be entered without a warrant (Fourth Amendment; FindLaw). Workers generally cannot block entry; that decision belongs to the employer.

If you are detained

• Ask whether you are free to leave. If yes, leave calmly.
• If not, stay silent and ask for a lawyer.
• Tell agents if you have children who need care or a medical condition.
• Memorize a family member's phone number and your A-number if you have one.

See what happens after ICE detention.

Your rights as a worker do not disappear

Federal wage and hour laws protect workers regardless of immigration status: you are entitled to pay for hours already worked, including minimum wage and overtime (Department of Labor). If the employer stops paying after a raid, see how to get unpaid wages. Retaliation for reporting labor violations can itself be unlawful.

What employers should know

• Designate a contact person and call the company's lawyer.
• Ask to see the warrant and check its scope.
• Do not hide workers or destroy documents.
• A Notice of Inspection for I-9 forms gives at least three business days to produce them.

Prepare in advance

Make a family safety plan, keep key documents with someone you trust, and find a trusted immigration lawyer before you need one. See also what to do if ICE comes to your door.

Sources

1. Cornell Law School LII: Fourth Amendment
2. Cornell Law School LII: Fifth Amendment
3. U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet 48, Application of U.S. labor laws to immigrant workers
4. FindLaw: ICE warrants vs. judicial warrants