Day 96.

I’m a bit wiped out. in light of the recent raids, including some in my own city, I wanted to put together a post about how the deportation process works. It is, of course, extremely complicated. From being detained to being deported can take years. And the system is currently extremely backlogged. Without either more immigration judges or less action on enforcement, that’s going to get worse. There’s not enough beds for people currently in detention as it is.

I think like a lot of the problems we’re currently facing, it may be best to take this one step at a time. I hope you’ll bear with me. I want to keep moving forward, but at a sustainable pace. That’s frustrating when things are moving so fast. But I think this will be a more effective approach. So I’m going to spend a few days discussing this, because it’s what’s going on in immigrant communities in our country right now.

First: what happens before detention. One of the organizations I’ve begun supporting is the National Immigration Law Center. They collect resources on immigration raids. They share information from the National Lawyers’ Guild about how to prepare for a raid, and what to do if a raid is happening.

Here are my important takeaways from this reading:

• Don’t open the door; you don’t have to let ICE in without a signed warrant. They can come in if you give them permission to do so. You do not have to give them permission.
• You don’t have to say anything. You can say you plead the Fifth Amendment (right against self-incrimination), or you can simply remain silent.
• Remain calm and do not run away. Record the activity with your phone or take notes.
• You have a right to speak to your attorney; ask to speak to your attorney, and don’t sign anything without your attorney reviewing it.
• Report the raid to United We Dream, 844-363-1423, or text to 877877, or tweet #Not1More.