We Keep us safe: rep-sf community resource guide

November 5, 2025

In response to the federal attacks on our immigrant communities, we’ve compiled the following list of community-based resources from our REP-SF members, as well as city resources, focused on protecting our communities. Now more than ever, it's critical to know our rights and help protect each other's rights. We keep us safe! Let’s spread power, not panic!

Thank you to our REP-SF members Asian Law Caucus (ALC), GLIDE, Housing Rights Committee (HRCSF), Mission Action, People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights (PODER), Senior & Disability Action (SDA), South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), who created and shared many of the immigrants' rights resources included in this guide.

  • Arm yourself with trusted, vetted information.

  • Create power, not panic.

  • Protect each other.

  • Act with care and purpose.

Table of Contents:

BAY AREA RAPID RESPONSE HOTLINES

Know Your Rights Resources:

Legal Services

Take Action

Resources Around the Bay


Bay Area ICE Rapid Response Hotlines

Please call a hotline number if:

  • You witness ICE activity in your neighborhood/community

  • ICE knocks on your door or stops you

  • ICE detains a family member or loved one

For assistance with ICE arrests/ICE activity only – use National Immigrant Legal Services Directory for general legal referrals.

San Francisco: 415-200-1548 (SF Rapid Response Network)

Alameda County: 510-241-4011 (Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership)

Santa Clara County: 408-290-1144 (San Jose ICE Rapid Response)

San Mateo County: (203) 666-4472 (Faith in Action)

Contra Costa County: 925-900-5151 (Stand Together)

Santa Cruz County: 831-239-4289 (Your Allied Rapid Response)

Artwork by Winsor Kinkade (@winsorkinkade_). Share widely. Free downloads: linktr.ee/winsorkinkade

Who is ICE Targeting?

ICE is targeting anyone without lawful immigration status. This includes those who have entered without status, overstayed a visa, or have a final order of removal.

ICE has also targeted those with legal status in the U.S., including those with visas, green cards, and U.S. passports, especially if they have prior criminal convictions. You could be targeted even if your conviction is from years ago, you didn’t serve time in jail, your case was a minor or misdemeanor, you’ve had your green card for a long time, or all your family members are U.S. citizens.

Your Rights with Federal Agencies (DHS, FBI, ICE): (Resources from Asian Law Caucus)


Know Your Rights Resources

Resources from REP-SF Members:

Other resources:

If ICE enters my workplace…

KYR Resource for Workers (from REP-SF member Asian Law Caucus)

  • You have the right to remain silent. 

  • You can refuse to sign any documents. 

  • You can deny consent to a search. 

  • Consult an attorney before answering questions. 

  • Regardless of immigration status, all California workers have the same labor and employment protections. 

  • Immigration-based retaliation is illegal. That can look like: 

    • Threatening to report you or a family member to ICE

    • Demanding new proof of work authorization

    • Reducing your work hours

    • Firing you or ending your position

  • ICE cannot enter any part of the workplace not open to the public unless they have a warrant. 

  • A warrant is a document issued by a court and signed by a judge. 

  • Immigration officers may conduct an audit of I-9 forms at your workplace. 

    • Employers should receive a Notice of Inspection from ICE at least 72 hours before any audit. 

  • Employers in CA are not permitted to allow immigration officers near workers during an I-9 audit. 

  • If there’s an issue with your I-9: 

    • Employers must notify workers if they receive a Notice of Inspection and if the audit raises concerns about any workers’ I-9. 

    • You have the right to present a form of valid documentation. 

    • An employer must give you a reasonable amount of time to present documentation before and employers can fire you. 

    • Employees must be paid for all hours worked, even if terminated due to immigration issues. 

    • Employers cannot use I-9 audits to discriminate, retaliate, or intimidate employees.

If ICE is at my home…

What to do if you ICE comes to your door (Resource from REP-SF member GLIDE)

  • Do not open the door for immigration officers. Officers will take you opening the door as permission for them to enter and will push their way in. 

  • Immigration officers may not enter your home unless they have a warrant. A warrant is a document issued by a court, signed by a judge.

  • Through the door, ask which agency the officers are with and for them to slide a warrant under the door.

  • If they say they are police, ask for their precinct and if they are ICE. 

  • If they ask you questions, you can say:
    “I don’t want to answer questions. Please leave your contact information.

  • Immigration officers might claim a document only signed by a deportation officer is a warrant. This document does not authorize them to enter your home.

  • If the warrant is only signed by a deportation officer and not a judge, tell the officers you do not consent to a search.

  • Call your rapid response hotline number. (San Francisco: 415-200-1548)

  • Print out cards to inform ICE officers that they cannot enter your home and you do not wish to speak to them. ILRC Red Cards and flyers are available in 56 languages.

If ICE is in my home…

Know Your Rights: If ICE Comes / Conozca Sus Derechos: Si Llega ICE (from REP-SF member Mission Action)

  • If ICE agents are in your home or touch your belongings, say: “I do not consent to you being inside. Please leave.”

  • If ICE agents ask for your passport or identity documents, say: “I don’t want to bring my documents. I don’t want to give you anything.”

  • Repeat these phrases: 

    • I don’t want to talk to you. 

    • I don’t want to answer questions. 

    • Please leave.

If I am outside of my home…

If you are outside of your home, ICE does not need a warrant to arrest you. 

  • ICE often waits down the street until people leave their houses to arrest them.

  • ICE officers are often not in uniform and are wearing plainclothes. 

  • They often find a person by calling out their name. Don’t say your name. 

  • If you are arrested, you have the right to:

    • Ask them to identify themselves.

    • Ask: “Am I free to go?” 

    • If they say yes, walk away and do not answer any questions. 

    • If they say no, do not resist arrest and state: 

      • “I want to use my right to remain silent.”

      • “I want to speak to a lawyer.” (You can say this even if you do not have an attorney.)

    • If the ICE officers try and take your back to search it, say: 

      • “I do not agree to this search.”

  • Witnesses have the right to film this interaction

  • Take notes about what happened, writing down any details of what happened. 

  • If you, a loved one, or someone else is arrested by ICE, call your local rapid response network.

  • If a loved one is arrested, you can locate them at locator.ice.gov. 

  • You need a plan and numbers to call.

If ICE pulls over my car…

You have a right to: 

  • Refuse to be fingerprinted by ICE unless you are under arrest. Say: 

    • “Why am I being fingerprinted?”

    • “I don’t consent to being fingerprinted.”

  • Refuse a search of your car. Say: 

    • I don’t consent to this search 

    • I don’t want you to search my car

  • Refuse a search of your pockets beyond a patdown for “officer safety”

    • I don’t consent to this search.

    • I don’t want you to search my pockets. 

  • Ask if the officers have a warrant

    • Ask: Do you have a warrant?

    • If ICE says no: 

      • I want to use my rights to not answer any questions 

      • Why are you stopping me? 

      • Am I free to go?

    • If ICE says yes: 

      • “I don’t want to answer your questions. I would like to see the warrant.”

  • Refuse to give an ID:

    • Say: 

      • Am I free to go? 

      • I don’t consent to give you ID or answer your questions 

  • Ask questions:

    • Are you the police? 

    • Are you highway patrol?

    • Are you immigration?

    • Why am I being stopped?

  • Leave if you are not under arrest

    • Ask: Am I free to go? 

    • If I CE says no: I want to use my right to not answer any questions

    • Yes: I don’t want to answer your questions 

  • Remain silent

    • Do not answer questions about your criminal/immigration history 

    • Do not lie or show false documents

    • Do not run or resist arrest, because this could escalate the situation

    • Do not answer questions about your place of birth

If ICE shows up at my small business…

What To Do If ICE Shows Up at Your Small Business (Know Your Rights Guide) & Rapid Response Community Resources from Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (LCCRSF)

  • No small business should have to operate in fear. If ICE arrives at your workplace, knowing your rights is the key to responding with power. We urge Bay Area workers, merchants, and small business owners to read, share, and arm themselves with this knowledge. Stay calm and remember: you and your workers have rights!

If a loved one is detained…

Community Resource Guide: First Steps After Someone You Care About is Detained by Immigration (from the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice)

Reminders:

  • It is legal to film ICE, regardless of your immigration status.

  • Make sure to film openly – some states have laws prohibiting secret recordings.

  • Physically interfering or not complying with a direction to back up can put you in danger and risk your arrest.

  • Even if an ICE agent tells you to stop recording, you can continue to do so as long as you do not interfere with the arrest.

  • While there are only a few instances where ICE agents can take your phone, be aware that they may do so regardless of whether it’s legal.


RED CARDS

Red Cards from Immigrant Legal Resource Center – Print and carry these with you! All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home. Use these ILRC Red Cards and flyers to inform ICE officers of your rights in 56 languages.

FOR TENANTS

Immigrant Tenants' Rights: (Resource from REP-SF member Asian Law Caucus)

Know Your Rights / Know the Facts Graphics from REP-SF member Housing Rights Committee / HRCSF: With everything going on right now, it's more important than ever to know what landlords can and can't do and to have the resources to confront them when they cross these lines. Save this post to return to if you have questions about what landlords can do with your immigration status!!

  • Know the Facts: Landlords CANNOT evict you based on your immigration status, threaten to report you to immigration authorities, or disclose your immigration status to anyone. If your landlord has done any of the following, contact us ASAP at 415-703-8644.

  • Conozca los Hechos: Propietarios NO PUEDEN desalojarle por su situación migratoria, amenazarle con denunciarle a las autoridades de inmigración o revelar su situación migratoria a cualquier persona. Si su propietario ha hecho alguna de estas cosas, póngase en contacto con nosotros lo antes posible: 415-703-8644.

FOR families

Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan (Resource from Immigrant Legal Resource Center): Prepare your household with an emergency plan. Even if you haven’t yet had an encounter with ICE, it is important to create an emergency plan as soon as possible. Do not rely on information from your phone. It is important to have hard copies of everything, compiled in an organized way.

  • Write down important information like full name, date of birth, and A-number (if you have one). Find more information about the preparedness plan here. Sample Preparedness Forms: English, Spanish, Haitian/Creole.

  • Once you create a plan and compile your original personal documents, make sure to keep them organized, in a safe place, and make and store copies where someone you trust can access them if you are detained. Do not carry it around with you. Only share this emergency plan with trusted friends and relatives. Make sure they know where it is, why it is important, and how to get it in case you are arrested by ICE. Never share your emergency plan with ICE agents.

REP-SF member GLIDE offers a free legal clinic to anyone who needs support with immigration. GLIDE offers Latino/a cultural resources at their Family Resource Center (FRC) and Family, Youth, and Childcare Center (FYCC). And GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice advocates for policies that ensure love, dignity, and respect for all our amazing communities.


For workers

Immigrant Workers’ Rights (Asian Law Caucus):


FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

What To Do If ICE Shows Up at Your Small Business (Know Your Rights Guide) and Rapid Response Community Resources from Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (LCCRSF): Important resource for Bay Area small businesses! LCCRSF’s Economic and Immigrant Justice teams created a critical Know Your Rights manual for small businesses: what to do if ICE shows up at your door. No small business should have to operate in fear. If ICE arrives at your workplace, knowing your rights is the key to responding with power. We urge Bay Area workers, merchants, and small business owners to read, share, and arm themselves with this knowledge. Stay calm and remember: you and your workers have rights!


Legal Services

  • Be careful of scams!

  • Get screened by a lawyer to see if you are eligible for any legal defenses against deportation (“relief). Many non-profits have free legal screenings across the country: www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/

  • Consult an expert about giving a loved one financial power of attorney if you’re detained.

  • If hiring a lawyer: 

    • Always get a second opinion before paying one. 

    • Always have a signed contract and make sure to review the document in your preferred language. 

    • Make sure both of you sign the contract, and you get a copy.

    • Ideally, pay by check or money order instead of cash. Get a receipt for payment. 

  • REP-SF member Mission Action has developed a Community Resource Kit with information and tools to help you stay safe, informed, and connected during this time. The kit includes practical guidance, legal hotlines, and wellness resources you can use right now. You can print the full PDFs, available in English and Spanish: Community Resource Kit / Kit de Recursos Comunitarios

  • Project Legal Link Immigration Resources

Emergency & Legal Support Hotlines:

SF Public Defender: (415) 553-1671

Asian Law Caucus: (415) 896-1701

Legal Aid at Work: (415) 864-8848

Mission Action Rapid Response Network: (415) 200-1548


TAKE ACTION

Adopt-A-Corner:

The goal of Adopt-a-Corner is to build a strong network of community members who want to prevent ICE from abducting day laborers, and build a resilient community in the face of fascism. They work with day laborers to watch for ICE activity, using their presence and nonviolent resistance to deter ICE, and sharing resources. This work follows the leadership of local organizers with Nuevo Sol and learnings from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). Take part in Adopt-a-Corner to protect your neighbors if ICE patrols in your area!

COURT SUPPORT:

Mobilize Against ICE: Immigration Court Support

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm

100 Montgomery St, San Francisco

Join neighbors, activists, and grassroots organizations in resisting ICE abductions happening at immigration court hearings! ICE is indiscriminately targeting asylum seekers and immigrants arriving for routine, non-removal proceeding check-ins in order to meet their daily quotas. Show up to court watch and lend a protective presence outside the courtroom.

The 8 am to 10 am window is when turnout is most critical, but if you can’t make that, please come whenever works for you. Come for 30 minutes, a couple hours, or the entire time! Orientations and programming are held daily on-site.

Resources around the Bay

Take Action with Bay Resistance:

For more information and the Bay Resistance toolkit, go to bit.ly/baygetready.

  1. Sign up for text alerts from Bay Resistance

  2. Sign up to Adopt A Day Labor Corner (ICE watch)

  3. Join an action pod with your friends, family, and neighbors

If you’re interested in taking on a leadership role, consider co-facilitating a Bay Resistance neighborhood action pod in San Francisco, or joining an existing pod. If you’re interested in pod facilitation, contact Shaya at shaya@sdaction.org.

SF City Resources:

For a list of City resources related to immigrant rights, visit immigrants.sf.gov. For immediate support, the San Francisco Rapid Response Network is available at sfrrn.org or via their 24-hour hotline (415-200-1548).

SF Surging $3.5 Million to Immigration Legal Defense & Rapid Response Network: On Oct. 28, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors introduced a $3.5 million budget supplemental to expand access to immigration legal services, to strengthen our local Rapid Response Network hotline, and to affirm San Francisco’s sanctuary City values, commitment to inclusion, and Due Process for ALL — especially for our immigrant neighbors and community members. We look forward to the Mayor’s support and to a unanimous vote from the BOS to pass this urgently needed budget supplemental.

Amidst threats by the Trump administration to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the National Guard in San Francisco, District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, alongside her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, announced legislation appropriating funds from the City’s general reserves towards San Francisco’s immigrant legal services and Rapid Response Network, which have been severely underfunded amidst threats by the Trump administration.

SF Immigrant Rights Commission Special Hearing on Immigration Enforcement and SF's Local Response Efforts: On Oct. 27, the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission hosted a special hearing focused on a 2025 update on federal immigration enforcement and local response in San Francisco. Community leaders and City officials discussed what they are seeing on the ground, how the City is responding to community needs, what SF's sanctuary policies and local law enforcement protocols mean for you, as well as where individuals and families can access free resources. View the meeting agenda and watch the recording.