For more ideas, including local strategies (like how to contact your mayor or sheriff), see Detention Watch Network’s toolkit.

2. Demand the Supreme Court delays the DACA ruling

The Supreme Court is scheduled to issue a ruling on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by June 2020. If the Court affirms the Trump administration’s termination of DACA protections, more than 800,000 young immigrants will be in danger of being deported — including thousands of vital health-care workers. It’s crucial that DACA recipients stay protected from deportations and remain able to provide financial and emotional support for themselves and their families right now. Join United We Dream in urging the Supreme Court to delay its final decision.

3. Use your phone to expose ICE abuses

Using your phone to film encounters with ICE can help expose abuses, fight deportations in court, and bring attention to a culture of racist and dehumanizing enforcement that continues to separate families and inflict trauma on immigrant communities in the midst of a global pandemic. WITNESS, where I work as the senior U.S. program coordinator, has already seen how video can be a powerful tool to expose abuses and defend immigrant rights. Keeping our eyes on ICE is even more important now, and possible even while social distancing. Filming might not stop the enforcement in the moment, but it can help fight a case down the line, hold authorities accountable, and help propel immigrant rights to the forefront of national conversation at a time when people are distracted. See the resources below to learn how you can use the camera in your pocket to expose abuses and defend immigrant rights safely, ethically, and effectively.

4. Be careful not to spread misinformation

Social media can be a powerful tool for immigrant communities and allies to organize remotely, learn their rights, and share vital information during COVID-19. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen how misinformation spread online about policies affecting immigrant communities and/or misreporting ICE raids can escalate fear and uncertainty within an already vulnerable community. Oftentimes misinformation is spread by those with the best intentions, but the impact can be dire. Allies and directly impacted communities can combat misinformation and help spread power instead of paranoia. Before you reshare a post, take a second and look to the resources below to guide you:

5. Know your rights

One of the most powerful and evergreen ways to fight for immigrant rights is to know, understand, and practice your rights. We all have rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, regardless of our immigration status. Read and share the resources below to learn what your rights are: