Traveling over break? Know your rights when dealing with ICE. - BG Falcon Media

Information compiled by The National Justice Center, The New York Times, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Students across Bowling Green State University have the chance to travel back to their hometowns or go on vacation over spring break. But what if the places where students are traveling have a high concentration of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity? Knowing how to be aware of ICE activity and knowing your rights can help keep you and others safe.

Know your rights:

• People in the United States always have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you later in court.
• You have the right to refuse to let ICE members into your home, unless they have a judicial warrant to enter. Know the difference between a judicial warrant and other sample warrants. Judicial warrants will be signed by a judge, whereas other warrants will not have a signature.

The National Immigrant Justice Center has more information, as well as examples of the warrant types.

At the Airport:

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been working with ICE to track who is traveling. Once an undisclosed program, ICE shared names and birthdays of travelers believed to be ordered out of the country with TSA. This program gives ICE an advantage to make quick arrests at airports. An airport is a public space, so ICE can legally make arrests there. - Be aware of policies that restrict where ICE officials can make arrests. Certain areasare blocked for officials to make arrests. For example, courthouses and places of worship are considered protected areas. - If traveling and experiencing ICE officers at the airport, know that you can record the event taking place if someone is being detained or questioned.

Know what areas have compliant policies with ICE:

• Areas in states that students are traveling to may have ICE-assisting policies. Knowing ahead of time can help make sure that others are safe during break. States and counties are not required to aid ICE officers. The Immigrant Legal Resource Centerhas an interactive map that shows states with such policies. - Some websites track ICE raids across the country, such as ICE Raid TrackerandICE Activity Tracker. Being aware of areas that have recently experienced ICE raids will help protect students from being caught in the middle of a conflict.

Protests over break:

• Across the nation, there have been continuous protestsagainst ICE. Fromschool districtsto community-led protests, these can affect break plans. If you are planning onprotesting, know that your rights still apply and you have the right to express yourself in peaceful protest. - Keep an eye out for counter-protestors and do not engage in discourse with them.