What to Do if ICE Is in Your Community

Please Read First

Indivisible North Pinellas is a grassroots civic group, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change fast, and every situation is different. For advice about your own circumstances, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or call one of the Florida hotlines listed at the bottom of this page. This page is offered as general education for our neighbors.

The Legal Picture

What Florida law actually says right now

There is a lot of confusion about Florida’s 2025 immigration laws, so here is the honest picture as of mid-2026.

• SB 4-C is blocked. This is the law signed in February 2025 that tried to make it a state crime for certain undocumented people to enter or re-enter Florida. A federal judge blocked it in April 2025, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift that block, and in July 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court declined Florida’s request to enforce it. As of now it remains unenforceable statewide. No one can be arrested or prosecuted under SB 4-C while the block stands.
• 287(g) cooperation is real and widespread. Florida law now pushes state and county law enforcement to partner with ICE through what are called 287(g) agreements. Florida has hundreds of these agreements, more than any other state, including with the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida State Guard. In plain terms, the officer in front of you may be a local deputy or trooper acting on behalf of ICE.
• Your constitutional rights do not change. No matter who is asking, you keep your right to remain silent and your right to refuse a search of your home without a judge-signed warrant. Those rights are explained below, and they apply to everyone on U.S. soil regardless of immigration status.

On the Street

If ICE stops you on the street

• Ask, “Am I being detained, or am I free to go?” If they say you are free to go, walk away slowly and calmly.
• You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration status, or how you entered the country.
• Stay calm. Do not run, and avoid sudden movements. Running can give agents a reason to use force, whether or not that reason is fair.
• You can say out loud, “I am choosing to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer.”

At Home

If ICE comes to your home

• You do not have to open the door. ICE cannot legally enter your home without either your permission or a warrant signed by a judge.
• An “ICE warrant” or “administrative warrant” signed only by an ICE officer is not the same as a judge-signed warrant and does not allow them inside. Ask them to slide any paperwork under the door so you can read it without opening up.
• A valid judicial warrant is signed by a judge, names your correct address or your name, and is dated. If it does not have all of that, you can say you do not consent to entry.
• If agents enter anyway, do not physically resist. Say clearly, “I do not consent to your entry or to any search.” If it is safe, start recording and write down what happens.

In Your Car

If ICE stops your car

• You can ask whether you are free to leave. If yes, drive away slowly and calmly.
• The driver must show a driver’s license if asked. Passengers do not have to give their names or any personal information.
• You can ask the officer to identify themselves and which agency they are with.
• Officers generally need a lawful reason to search your vehicle. If they search it without your consent, document what happens if you can do so safely.

Be Ready

How to prepare before anything happens

A simple family plan made on a calm day is far easier than scrambling during an emergency.

• If there are children, put in writing who is allowed to care for them if a parent is detained, and make sure that caretaker has a copy.
• Make sure everyone in the household knows where important documents are kept, and has a few emergency phone numbers memorized, not just saved in a phone that could be taken.
• Memorize the phone number of a trusted attorney or a rapid-response hotline.
• You are not required to carry immigration documents to show ICE, but keeping copies of any papers you do have can sometimes help calm an encounter.
• Carry a “Know Your Rights” card. The ACLU of Florida and the Florida Immigrant Coalition offer free ones in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.
• Learn how to use the ICE online detainee locator at locator.ice.gov so you can find a loved one if they are detained.

For Your Neighbors

If ICE stops your neighbor

• You have the right to watch and record from a safe distance in any public place.
• Say the details out loud as you record: how many agents, the location, the time, and which agency they appear to be with.
• Do not physically interfere. Agents may try to arrest or use force on bystanders who get too close.
• If you can, contact the person’s family and let them know what is happening and where.
• If you can speak to the person from a safe distance, remind them of their right to remain silent and to ask for a lawyer, and ask for a contact number for someone they trust.

Recording

How to record safely

You generally have the right to record law enforcement in public. Use real caution. Keep a safe distance, do not interfere with what agents are doing, and if other people are nearby, film together. Capturing more than one angle and narrating what is happening, where, and when creates a stronger record that is harder to dispute later.

Reporting

Is it legal to report where ICE is?

Yes. Sharing observations of public immigration enforcement activity is legal. In Florida, the fastest way to both report activity and get help is the statewide rapid-response hotline listed below, which sends a trained observer to confirm what is happening and can connect people with an attorney.

Talking to ICE

Should you talk to ICE?

We do not recommend speaking to ICE voluntarily. Even U.S. citizens and lawful residents have been wrongly detained. You have the right to remain silent and to decline to show documents. If an agent keeps pressing, you can calmly say you are choosing to stay silent and will not speak without a lawyer. Do not sign anything ICE gives you before an immigration attorney has reviewed it.

Take Action

How to support your neighbors

Every family’s needs are different. Some need a physical presence, some need practical help, some just need to know someone has their back. Ways to help:

• Show up for people directly. Offer to accompany a neighbor on grocery runs, school pickups, or work trips. Offer extra food, clothing, or other essentials.
• Work with local organizations. Mutual aid groups, ICE-watch teams, and legal aid groups are already organized to help families affected by enforcement. Plug into them rather than going it alone.
• Give to food banks and charities. Donations of money or time to groups serving immigrant families make a direct difference.
• Call your representatives. Pressure on local, state, and federal officials is one of the few levers that can change how enforcement happens in our community.

Resources

Florida and Pinellas County resources

• Florida Rapid Response Hotline: 1-888-600-5762. Run by the Rapid Response Alliance (Americans for Immigrant Justice, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Community Justice Project, Catholic Legal Services, WeCount!, and the ACLU of Florida). Call to report enforcement activity or get help. Operators speak English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.
• ACLU of Florida, Know Your Rights. Free guides, videos, and cards in four languages at aclufl.org/know-your-rights-immigrants-rights.
• Florida Immigrant Coalition. Know Your Rights resources and family safety planning at floridaimmigrant.org/know-your-rights.
• Lutheran Services Florida. Immigration support covering Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, and Hernando counties. Call 813-875-1408.
• Gulfcoast Legal Services. Legal services for immigrant families in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.
• ICE Detainee Locator. Find someone who has been detained at locator.ice.gov.

One More Time, Because It Matters

This page is general information from a community group, not legal advice. Immigration law is complicated and changes quickly. Please talk to a licensed immigration attorney or call one of the hotlines above for guidance on your specific situation.