RESOURCES: Action Steps to Protect Minnesotans With Immigrant Roots
We are sharing this compilation of insights for those who want to share a public link.
Disclaimer: This document is for general informational purposes only. This is not legal advice.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you cannot be legally arrested by ICE or deported, but ICE has illegally detained U.S. citizens in other parts of the country.
Know your rights
- You have the right to remain silent.
- You have the right to an attorney.
- You do not have to answer the door for law enforcement unless they present a signed judicial warrant.
- If you’re unsure someone is a law enforcement officer, call 911 for verification.
Immigration resources
- Minneapolis Immigrant & Refugee Affairs
- Phone: 612-673-3129
- Email: oira@minneapolismn.gov
- St. Paul Immigration Resources
- Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) intake line: 800-223-1368
- ICE detainee locator
- Rescursos en español
Mutual aid
What is a “final order of removal” and how can I find out if I have one?
A “Final Order of Removal” is the last step in an immigration court before someone can be legally deported. Many people who went to immigration court years or even decades ago were given Final Orders of Removal, but they were not deported for any number of reasons, such as the impact on their family here in the U.S., or the government wasn’t able to deport them to their home country. For people with Final Orders of Removal, a deportation can happen extremely quickly – in just a few days without further court appearances. If you are unsure whether you have a Final Order of Removal, you can find your immigration court records here: https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/
What should I do?
- If you have valid legal status, you should carry records of that with you at all times (e.g. your green card, U.S. passport, foreign passport with visa, I-94, EAD/work permit, etc.)
- If your legal status is in question, you should contact an immigration lawyer as soon as possible. You should know your legal rights so that you can assert them if it is necessary. A helpful guide can be found online here: https://www.nilc.org/…/rights-card-Somali-4up-2017-02.pdf
- An immigration attorney can provide individualized legal advice, which can help you and your family plan for all possibilities. A legal referral list can be found online here: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/…/Attorney…, and you can also find a private attorney.
- Congressional offices have limited ability to help. But if your loved one has been detained and is not showing up in the detainee locator system (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/), Congressional offices can help locate them.
I’m a U.S. citizen. What can I do to help?
- You can act as a legal observer if you see ICE or other federal agents questioning someone in public. You can enroll in a local rapid response network to get trained on legal observation, report ICE activity, or respond to requests for legal observers.
- If you are joining your neighbors to observe ICE activity, please remain peaceful and orderly. In other cities, Trump has used the optics of chaotic protests to send the National Guard to communities for extended periods of time. We should not give them a justification to further militarize our community.
- You can speak out about the cruelty of the Trump administration and document the harm they are causing in our community.
- You can donate to immigrant legal organizations, who need resources to help defend immigrants.
Our Spanish/English Know Your Rights
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Thanks to Unidos, Minnesota Women’s Press now offers a Somali-language “Know Your Rights” magazine online, with more to come.
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For 2025 coverage, Minnesota Women’s Press earned a community leadership award, three photography awards, and four editorial awards, including for coverage of social issues and for our Spring 2025 “Know Your Rights” special section supported by Unidos MN. Our publisher was named Journalist of the Year by Violence Free Minnesota for gender-based violence coverage.
