For UndocuLeaders Participating in Protest

June 5, 2020

Share this Resource

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

In Spanish

As you get ready to attend, remember the core goal of this moment is to demand justice for the Black lives lost through police brutality. We are here to echo the Movement for Black Lives’ demands to defund the police and create concrete systemic change for Black lives. 

Even if the media claims immigration agencies won’t be making arrests, CBP have been deployed to demonstrations. We know that ANY interactions with any law enforcement agency can lead to detention/deportation. It is imperative that if you attend you show up with a plan and be grounded in solidarity.

Create a plan ahead of time on how you choose to show up.

  • Get the location, time, duration and weather of the event ahead of time
    • Create a route ahead of time for the location of the event and what are your emergency exits (i.e where to get picked up,where is there a medic/water station).
  • Find out who is organizing? Who is a good contact person on site?

*Note: Front line demonstrators are potentially at higher risk of arrest, be alert that reports have shown that police is detaining demonstrators even when they are not an active participant of the event*.

  • Stay close to your group at all times.
    • Buddy-up with loved ones who are aware of your plan. This will allow you to participate up to your point of comfort. 
    • Create roles in your group, plan ahead for various situations. 
  • Decide ahead of time when you as a whole group will leave the event.

Each immigration case is different and enforcement interactions can impact differently for each individual. Having trusted legal counsel can answer key questions about the impact on current and future adjustment of status. 

Have a preparedness package ready and leave it with someone of trust.

  • Designate someone to respond if you are detained 
  • Share with a trusted loved one where you will be heading and write their number down somewhere you can still access it even without your phone.
  • Share that number with someone in your group so they can contact someone on your behalf if needed.

Identify if there are any forms of support ready for potential arrests:

  • Bails Bonds 
  • Pro-Bono Attorneys 
  • Local organizations providing guidance and legal support

Identify a trusted Immigration attorney ready to respond

  • consult with them beforehand if possible, especially if you have any past arrests or contact with immigration.

If you are planning to take your phone, 

    • Download Notifica and have at least one contact person ready to alert in the case of an arrest. [Text Notifica to 877877 to download the app]
    • Make sure you remove facial recognition/ fingerprint options in case your phone is confiscated. 
    • Be ready to identify and document who is making your arrest. 

If arrested, here are best ways identify yourself

It’s best to not carry your EAD card. 

  • A state issued ID is the best way to identify yourself 
  • Do not carry false documents 
  • School IDs are often valid forms of identification (may vary from state-state)
  • If your passport is your only form of identification and you are detained, remember you can deny responding to any questions unless your attorney is present.

Most common charges in demonstrations can be:

  • Curfew Violation 
  • Inciting a Riot 
  • Obstruction of Traffic 
  • Disorderly Conduct 
  • Criminal Trespass 

If someone in your group is being detained and you interfere, you can be detained for interfering. Make sure an ally is prepared to record and collect information like:

Make sure this information is focused on the officers and not the person being detained

If you are detained, remain calm, remember and execute your plan as best as you can.

Share this Resource

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Receive UndocuHealth Tips in Your Inbox

People most affected are at the forefront and we bring our whole selves to the work.

United We Dream is committed to ensuring that people who are, have been, or will be directly impacted by the immigrant experience are at the forefront of decision-making and throughout UWD. We may be farthest from the conventional levers of power but we are closest to the problems, and we are most able to create truly transformative solutions based in an intersectional analysis and the beauty and power of our whole selves. Youth, womxn, and LGBTQ people from different ethnicities are at the core of our work.

  • Youth: Although UWD advocates for the immigrant community at large, immigrant youth are at the center of making decisions and guiding our work.
  • Womxn: UWD is a space for womxn to be who we they want to be and grow as organizers, leaders, and human beings without having to deal with sexism and oppression due to gender identity. We are committed to addressing sexism and misogyny in our organization and communities.
  • LGBTQ: UWD is a space for immigrant youth who identified as, gay, bi, lesbian, transgender, two-spirit and queer people where they can be themselves and grow as organizers, leaders, and human beings. We know that LGBTQ people, especially transgender womxn of color, face the brunt of oppressive systems and are committed to address homophobia and transphobia in our own communities and in the broader society.
  • Multi-Ethnic: UWD does not only advocate and organize among Latinx immigrant communities. We know that immigration is not a Latinx issue and that it affects many different communities that also make up UWD. We are committed to building a multi-ethnic movement inclusive of all immigrant communities.
close-link

We believe in being democratic and accountable.

We are led by those most affected and those doing the work are closest to the decision-making. As an organization we promote transparency and accountability, and we expect the same from the partners we work with and the institutions that we influence.

close-link

We are organizers and invest in leadership development, training and mentoring.

Our greatest strength comes from people. UWD knows that our communities have the answers and resources they need to create the change they want. We organize at the grassroots level to build relationships and empower communities to articulate and implement those answers by elevating their work, not individual voices. In order to create a strong organization and be part of a larger movement we create spaces where members are constantly learning, challenging themselves and their peers and seeking personal and collective empowerment.

close-link

We celebrate our existence and create a loving community.

UWD understands that we are movement fighters and we are rooted in the whole self. That means that we create a loving and accepting community, where self-care, mental health and healthy behavior are celebrated, where transformative relationships are built, and where we have fun.

close-link

Social change begins with personal empowerment linked to collective liberation.

United We Dream believes that change comes from empowering the whole person. Liberation for our community starts at the personal and individual level by deconstructing our thinking – we challenge ourselves and others to understand the current systems, structures, and institutions that oppress our communities. We work to raise political consciousness of our people and we build understanding and relationships that embrace diversity and see the intersections of our experiences and our individual liberation connected to collective liberation.

We also know that traditional educational structures were created to exclude our community. We are committed to uplifting the educational values and knowledge rooted in our cultures and upbringing while also liberating educational institutions to actually serve our community.

close-link

We are guided by love and committed to nonviolence.

We are guided by love, power, resiliency and the creativity of our people. While United We Dream encourages all communities to decide their own practices, we are committed to nonviolent action and non-oppressive practices. We take inspiration and wisdom from freedom fighters and people’s movements that came before us, while still being rooted in the needs of our community and today’s lived experience.

close-link

We are part of a global community.

Although UWD focuses our work in the United States, we recognize that immigrants and migrants all over the world are facing oppressive and violent systems. UWD recognizes that the root causes of migration include imperialism, colonization, violence, persecution, natural disasters, and capitalism and economic globalization that impose poverty and displacement — too often due to policy decisions being made in other countries. To reach true justice, we must recognize and push back against global policies that force people to move. We are part of the international community and will stand with all people seeking a better life, peace and safety.

close-link

We are the experts and our stories are power.

We are the ones with the lived experiences and we speak truth to power whenever injustices happen. We engage in politics, policy and world events and ensure that those with lived experiences have a seat at the table when policy is being made that impacts people’s lives. UWD believes that the art of sharing personal stories is the most important tool in order to create the changes we wish to see in the world.

close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link

Your Sticker is on the Way!

Thank you for claiming your free sticker! We receive a lot of requests so please allow up to two months for shipping. In the meantime, spread the word with others so they can get a sticker as well!

Share
Tweet