“One of the best ways of fighting your deportation case, or making a claim for asylum, or for being able to stay in the country is to actually have documentation of what happens when ICE shows up at your door or when ICE tries to arrest you or pick you up,” Palika said. “More times than not Ice violates their own policies or some constitutional law.”

The article also spoke about our recent training on the border in Texas and how she taught three small communities on how to prepare for any interactions with ICE and Border Patrol officials.

Read the entire article here.

While some cities have attempted to craft protective policies to minimize ICE interference, these agents are relentlessly finding loopholes to exploit these communities. In New York City, where local officials have declared that the city would resist the White House’s crackdown, ICE raids are still happening. A new battlefront for these officers has become the courthouses of the city.

In an effort to educate and inform people that they have the right to film and document ICE officials, WITNESS along with Immigrant Defense Project (IDP), and New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) created a new resource informing people of their rights to film at courthouses.

The information in this resource is specific to a New York City-based audience, but many aspects can be applicable to communities in other spaces. It offers important information about your rights and best practices for documenting an incident. Remember: Always use your best judgment and assess risks to yourself and those you are filming before hitting “record”.

For more on our work to combat ICE abuses, check out our series, “Eyes on ICE.”

The screening was followed by a conversation on the importance of storytelling, documentation and knowing your rights in the current immigration landscape. This conversation was led by Emma Whitford, a journalist focusing on the human impact of immigration enforcement, and featured filmmaker Abby Goldberg, Supervising Attorney of Immigration at BDS Nyasa Hickey, survivor of family separation, Carlos de Jesus, and our very own U.S. Program Coordinator Palika Makam.

After the panel, our U.S. team held an impromptu training on how you use your cell phone to document abuses against immigrant communities, learn more about your rights, and how you can support grassroots organizations working on the frontlines of immigration justice.

Head over to our Facebook page to watch a video recap of the event.

In the article and accompanying video, we share practical tips for those who may be most vulnerable to these increased ICE raids and arrests, as well as practical considerations for any of us who may be witnesses to these events.

Through the strategic use of eyewitness video, we are creating a new era of transparency and pathways to justice. Visit our library to check out free resources on how to deal with ICE officers and how to document their abuses safely, ethically, and effectively.