Immigrant Resources: Legal Aid, Mutual Aid & Emergency Preparedness

📞 Part 1: Emergency Hotlines & Rapid Response Networks

National Hotlines

Regional Hotlines by City/State

California Rapid Response Network Hotlines

📋 Full list of Rapid Response hotlines (PDF): publicdefenders.us/Hotlines-RRN.pdf

📋 National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights hotlines: nnirr.org/immigration-hotlines

⚖️ Part 2: Free & Low-Cost Legal Services

National Legal Directories

Key National Legal Organizations

How to Avoid Immigration Scams

From USAHello:

• ❌ Notaries public (notarios) in the U.S. are NOT authorized to provide legal services
• ❌ Beware of anyone who contacts you first, makes guarantees, or asks you to sign blank forms
• ❌ Never pay for blank immigration forms (they are free from USCIS)
• ✅ Verify lawyers with the State Bar Association and AILA
• ✅ Verify DOJ-accredited representatives at the DOJ's official list

🔓 Part 3: Immigration Bond Funds

If a loved one is detained by ICE, they may be eligible for release on bond. Bond amounts have no maximum cap and can range from $1,500 to $80,000+. These organizations help pay bonds for people who cannot afford them.

National Bond Funds

State & Regional Bond Funds

📋 Full state-by-state bond fund directory: soinformed.substack.com

🔍 Part 4: Finding a Detained Loved One

If someone you know has been arrested by ICE, follow these steps (from NILC guide):

Step 1: ICE Online Detainee Locator System

• Search by A-Number (alien registration number) + country of birth, OR by name + country of birth
• It can take 24–48 hours for a name to appear
• Exceptions: Children under 18, T/U visa cases, and some transfers may not appear
• locator.ice.gov

Step 2: Contact the ICE Field Office (ERO)

• Call or email your local ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office
• Only provide necessary identifying information (A-number, name, country of birth)
• Ask for the Deportation Officer assigned to the case
• ICE Field Office directory

Step 3: Check the Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

• Since 2025, ICE has used BOP facilities to hold immigration detainees
• Search the BOP Inmate Locator: bop.gov/inmateloc

Step 4: Contact Consulates

• All immigrants in ICE custody have the right to contact their country's consulate
• Do NOT contact the consulate if the person is seeking asylum or fears their government

Step 5: Cross-Reference Facility Lists

• ICE Detention Facilities list: ice.gov Detention Statistics page (Excel spreadsheet at bottom)
• Freedom for Immigrants: Searchable list of ICE detention centers with contact info — freedomforimmigrants.org

What to Do When You Find Them

• Get proof of community ties (school records, work verification, volunteer records) for bond hearings
• Ensure they know: do not sign anything labeled "waiver," "stipulated removal order," or "voluntary departure agreement" without a lawyer
• If they fear return to home country, they should say so loudly and clearly to every officer

📋 Part 5: Family Emergency Preparedness

Preparedness Plan Templates

Key Steps for Your Family Plan

1. Designate a trusted guardian for your children in case of detention/deportation
2. Gather and copy important documents: birth certificates, passports, immigration papers, medical records, school records
3. Create a folder labeled "Privileged & Confidential" — store with a trusted person
4. Memorize key phone numbers — attorney, emergency contact, consulate
5. Download the Notifica app — sends automatic alerts to emergency contacts if you are detained
6. Carry your work permit or proof of legal status (if applicable) — but never carry a foreign passport or foreign ID (it can speed up deportation)
7. Do NOT sign any documents without talking to a lawyer
8. Sync photos/videos to the cloud — in case you record an ICE encounter, others can access the footage

🤝 Part 6: Mutual Aid Networks & Community Support

How to Find or Start a Mutual Aid Network

Types of Mutual Aid You Can Organize

• Grocery shopping & supply delivery for families afraid to leave their homes
• School drop-off/pick-up watches — monitor for ICE activity near schools
• Neighborhood "pods" — self-organized groups of neighbors for ongoing support
• Financial solidarity funds — direct cash assistance to immigrant families
• Accompaniment programs — accompanying immigrants to ICE check-ins, hearings, and appointments (HIAS model)
• Rapid response volunteering — joining local rapid response networks to be dispatched when ICE activity is reported
• Cop-watch / ICE-watch — community monitoring of enforcement activity in neighborhoods

National Mutual Aid & Advocacy Organizations

👷 Part 7: Worker Rights & Workplace Protections

Regardless of immigration status, all workers in the U.S. have rights:

📚 Part 8: Comprehensive Resource Hubs

These are "meta-resources" that aggregate many of the above into one place:

🛡️ Quick-Reference: Know Your Rights Cards

🔑 Key Reminders

• You have constitutional rights regardless of immigration status — including the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right to refuse entry without a judicial warrant
• Do not open the door for ICE unless they show a judicial warrant signed by a judge (not an administrative ICE warrant)
• Do not sign anything without speaking to a lawyer
• Do not carry a foreign passport — it can accelerate deportation
• Preparation is power — complete a family preparedness plan and store it with a trusted person today
• Save your local rapid response hotline in your phone now, before an emergency

This page was compiled on February 9, 2026 from live web sources. Check individual organization websites for the most current information and resources.