Reporting to ICE During Mass-Deportations

Date of Information: 06/25/2025

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You Are Not Alone, and You Have Rights.

If you are an asylum seeker or immigrant required to report to ICE during mass deportation operations, this site is for you. We can only imagine how stressful these times must be for you. We want to help in any way we can. This site is designed to help you:

Understand your rights,
Prepare yourself for what may come, and
Protect your dignity in all scenarios.

What’s Happening Right Now

Mass Deportations Are Rising. So Are Detentions. Over the past months, ICE has dramatically expanded enforcement actions. People who’ve checked in routinely for years are now being detained without warning — some held for months while their cases work through the courts. If you're reporting to ICE during this time, it is critical to prepare as if detention is possible and conduct yourself with dignity, strategy, and hope.

What To Do Before Your ICE Check-In

Prepare Like Your Freedom Depends On It — Because It Might:

✅ Contact your immigration attorney in advance and let them know the date/time/location of your appointment.
✅ Create written contingency plans with loved ones. Be sure to plan for:
- Communications with loved ones, either from incarceration or from overseas
- Child care
- Healthcare
- Housing—both for yourself, if you are released on bond, and any person dependent upon your care
- Continued payment of financial obligations, if applicable
- Disposition of property in the United States if you are detained for an extended period or deported (consider granting power of attorney to a trusted individual so he or she can transact on your behalf.)
✅ Bring only essential documents: asylum receipt, government ID, bond paperwork, court filings — in a secure folder.
✅ Show up to the ICE field office with your attorney’s contact information on your person
- Charles International Law has made shirts available to its clients with the firm’s contact information and reminders of the clients’ legal rights vis-à-vis law enforcement. While these are not strictly necessary, it is essential to have similar information directly on your person in case ICE seizes your paperwork, purse, wallet, or other personal items.
- Write your attorney’s contact information on your body if necessary.
✅ Share your location live with a trusted contact. If you do not have the technology to share your location live, treat your ICE check-in like an expedition into the wilderness:
- Tell a friend where you are going.
- Give your friend your attorney’s contact information and information on how to contact your family.
- Tell your friend when you plan to return.
- Set a time after which your friend should alert your attorney if he or she has not heard from you.
✅ Pack a bag with basic necessities that someone else can keep for you (medications, hygiene items, immigration documents).
✅ In advance, provide your attorney with copies of the documents he or she will need to prepare a bond application if you are detained. For more information on preparing a bond package, please see our research guide on that topic.

Know Your Rights at ICE

If You Are Taken Into Custody:

You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer any questions about your country, documents, or immigration status beyond confirming your identity.
You have the right to an attorney. You do not have to sign anything. You can say, “I want to speak to my lawyer.”
You can ask for parole or bond. Especially if you have medical conditions, family ties, or a pending asylum case. Your attorney can help file a request.
You have the right to a credible fear interview. If you fear returning to your country, state this clearly and immediately.

Emergency Resources

In Case of Detention:

National Immigration Legal Hotline: 1-800-298-2830
Charles International Law (Attorney Contact): www.charlesinternationallaw.com
Office: 240-406-4977 | Mobile: 717-202-9407
Detention Watch Network: www.detentionwatchnetwork.org
Again, prepare with a digital copy of your documents, and share it with a trusted person or your attorney.

CIL’s ICE Check-in Shirt

Although not strictly necessary, Charles International Law has designed a polo shirt for its clients with our firm’s contact information, a QR code to its website, and a polite but firm message to law enforcement that our clients intend to exercise the full panoply of rights available to them by law. The shirts are for sale through our sister company, Resistance Supplies:

Asylum Seeker Protection Polo

A legal-rights shirt designed specifically for ICE check-ins during mass deportations. Includes bilingual statements, your attorney’s contact info, and a QR code linking to legal help. Durable, respectful, and powerful. Wear your rights.

Buy Now