Last Updated: November 25, 2025
Know Your Rights
General NC Hotlines
Alerta Migratoria 1-984-377-2622
Durham, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Alamance, Asheboro
La Línea de Defensa (The Defense Line): Call or text 1-336-543-0353
Charlotte
Charlotte/Mecklenburg Carolina Migrant Network Hotline: 1-704-740-7737
Charlotte Comunidad Colectiva CLT 1-980-533-5721
Raleigh
Raleigh “Radar Safe” hotline: 1-800-559-8714
Asheville
Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (CIMA): 1-888-839-2839
Keep Us Safe: Virtual Town Hall
Recently, federal agents attacked our community by kidnapping and persecuting family members, friends, and co-workers. Join Muslim Women For for a conversation to get aligned, receive accurate updates about what's happening at the federal and state level, strategize together and get plugged into an Immigrant Rights campaign that will fight for all of us.
Thursday December 4, 2025 at 7:00pm over Zoom
If law enforcement is at the door…
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Ask for their ID and contact information
Find out if the officer is from DHS (Homeland Security) or ICE (Immigration Enforcement)
You have the right to not open your door and to stay silent. Politely say, “I don't want to answer your questions. Please leave your contact information”.
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Ask for a warrant
ICE agents cannot enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge, even if you open the door, it does not give them permission to enter your home.
If they enter without permission, do NOT run or resist. Say: “I do not consent to a search. I’m not talking without my lawyer” Then remain silent. If they came inside without your permission, tell them “I do not consent to you being in my home. Please leave.”
Tell the officer to slide the warrant under the door. If they don’t have a warrant, decline to let them in. Immigration could use fake warrants. (see below) -
Respond to the warrant
If the warrant provided is not valid, keep your door closed and politely say, “I will not speak to you or open the door. Give me your contact information and leave.”
A judicial warrant begins with the phrase “District Court” or “State Court”, NOT “Homeland Security”
How to Determine If A Warrant is Valid:
A warrant to search the location must have:
The address of the location
The date and time
A signature by a judge or court (NOT the “Department of Homeland Security” or “Immigration Officer”)
A warrant to arrest or ‘seize’ a person must have:
The address of the location
The date and time
A signature by a judge or court (NOT the “Department of Homeland Security” or “Immigration Officer”)
Name of the person who lives there
If the arrest warrant is valid:
Do not let the officer inside
The person listed on the warrant says “Move away from the door. I am stepping outside”
The person should step outside, close the door behind them, and surrender.
Or tell the officer if that person isn’t home.
If the search warrant is valid:
Let the officer in
Say “I’m not talking without my lawyer. I do not consent to a search”
Stay silent
Don’t interfere
You can film or take notes as needed
I’m being arrested by ICE, what do I do!?
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Stay Calm
Don’t lie or show false documents. Don’t run or resist arrest. Tell them if you have medical issues or need to arrange for childcare.
Do NOT hand over your ID or papers to ICE agents
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Stay Silent
You have the right to remain silent. If you encounter an ICE agent, say: "I exercise my right to remain silent under the 5th amendment of the US constitution” Ask to speak to a lawyer instead of answering questions.
You do NOT have to give them your consular documents or passport unless they have a warrant from a judge. Do NOT sign any documents (paper or digital) without first speaking to a lawyer, even if you are being arrested or detained
Do NOT answer any question about your immigration status, where you were born, or criminal history even if you are arrested, are at work, at home or are driving
Be prepared and have a safety plan
Memorize the number of someone you can trust and count on to help you if you are arrested. This can be a friend, a family member, or attorney.
Make a plan for who will take care of your children, your apartment, your pets, and who will contact your work in case you are picked up.
Designate trusted friends or family members to make important decisions.
Have all of your important documents such as birth certificate, medical records, criminal records, etc. in a safe place and give access to someone you.
Make sure your loved ones know your immigration number (A number) and how to find you if you are detained by Immigration.
Do not carry any documents from your country of origin or any false documents.
Everyone in the household, including family and friends who are citizens, must be familiar with their rights.
Carry a know your rights card with you.
Immigration Lawyers
While we don’t work with or endorse any specific lawyers, these lawyers have been recommended to us or we have recieved positive testimonials about.
Espinosa Law
Espinosa Law is an Immigration & Nationality Law Firm based in Charlotte, NC.
624 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd #140, Matthews, NC 28105
(704) 210-8200
EMP Law Firm
EMP Law Firm concentrates on Employment, Immigration and Worker's Compensation Law with offices in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, NC.
328 N Spring Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 537-1439| info@emplawfirm.com
Polanco Law, P.C.
Immigration and Criminal & Family Law firm based in Durham, NC.
411 Andrews Road, Suite 130, Durham, NC 27705
(919) 294-8032 | info@polancolawpc.com
Additional Immigrant Justice Resources
Nonprofit organizations that provide low-cost help can be found at www.immigrationlawhelp.org
The immigration courts have a list of lawyers and organizations that provide free legal services: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/ProBonoNC/dl
At https://www.immi.org/en/Info/FindLegalHelp there is a search engine into which you type a zip code and then are given a list of all the legal services near you.
You can search for an immigration lawyer using the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s online directory, www.ailalawyer.com
The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild also has an online find-a-lawyer tool: https://nipnlg.org/find-attorney-north-carolina
National Immigration Legal Services Directory You can search by state, zip code, and detention facility and print, PDF and email results in 13 different languages: https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/
The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) compiled a legal referral spreadsheet which lists hundreds of private immigration attorneys in many states and information on pro se help desks (to support those without legal representation) and other limited scope representation efforts in various cities: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/find-help/
The American Immigration Lawyers Association provides free legal referrals. You may call the Immigration Lawyer Referral Service at (800) 954-0254 or email them at ilrs@aila.org and state your name, phone number, what kind of immigration lawyer you need (for example, detention-deportation defense), and the city and state in which you need the lawyer.
Brooklyn Defender Services: Criminal, Family, Immigration and Civil Defense. Free of charge. https://bds.org/get-help