ACLU of Maine Reacts to Possible ICE Surge, Shares New Know Your Rights Resources

Following reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may significantly increase activity in Maine, the ACLU of Maine is urging all people to know their rights, be prepared for encounters with ICE, and know what resources are available if they or a loved one is detained.

The ACLU of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), and the Human Rights and Refugee Clinic at Maine Law created a quick reference guide for Maine residents. It is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole, Somali, and Lingala. Additionally, the ACLU of Maine has multilingual Know Your Rights materials covering a wide variety of issues, including protesting, Customs and Border Protection in Maine, and what to do if ICE is at your door.

Key things to remember if you encounter ICE or Border Patrol:

• You always have the right to ask an ICE officer, “Am I free to leave?” If they say yes, calmly leave.
• You have the right not to open the door to your home or private areas of your business unless agents have a judicial warrant signed by a judge. An “administrative warrant” does not grant ICE permission to enter or search your private property.
• You have the right to not answer immigration officers’ questions and to tell an immigration officers, “I am exercising my right to remain silent and would like to speak with an attorney.”
• Even if you exercise your rights, ICE may still detain you.
• If ICE tries to detain you, do your best to stay calm. Do not run away and do not resist.
• Never sign any documents or answer questions without consulting an attorney.

“The ACLU of Maine condemns this agency’s brutal, unlawful, and unprecedented assault on communities across the country,” said ACLU of Maine Executive Director Molly Curren Rowles. “Every person in the United States has the fundamental freedom to speak out, move around our communities, and gather together. ICE’s reckless actions and lack of accountability are making all people less safe and threatening our basic constitutional rights. This should not be a politicized issue. The United States is not a place where civilians face masked, armed troops and agents in our streets. If we believe in the vision of this country as the ‘Land of the Free’ then we all must get involved to support the rule of law and demand that Congress stop ICE funding and bring the agency under control.”