The Red Card Circulating Among Migrants: “Do Not Open the Door” and Other Key Messages During ICE Operations

What is the red card for migrants?

Rights when facing ICE

Guide available in 19 languages

“Carrying it with me makes me feel safer.”

That is how Verónica Velásquez, an undocumented immigrant originally from the Philippines who lives in Los Angeles, describes the small red card she always keeps in her wallet.

The document, about the size of an ID card, has become a quick-reference tool for people at risk of deportation.

Its purpose is simple: to remind people of basic constitutional rights and provide clear instructions during encounters with immigration agents.

A practical guide about immigrant rights in tense moments

Immigrant Red Card: Know Your Rights – Photo: EFE Agency

Known as a “know-your-rights card” or simply the red card, the material was created by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

The card is available in 19 languages and summarizes what to do when agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) knock on the door or try to question someone.

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One side of the card displays the message in English, while the other contains a translation in another language such as Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese or Vietnamese.

The design references the red cards used by soccer referees to eject players, symbolizing the act of stopping an improper procedure.

The rights the card highlights

The document lists rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution, regardless of a person’s immigration status.

Among them is the right to remain silent, protected by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

It also reminds people that they are not required to allow entry into their home without a warrant signed by a judge, as established by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

One of the messages printed on the card reads:

“Do not open the door if an immigration agent is knocking.”

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Clear instructions when facing immigration agents

The card also warns:

“Do not answer any questions from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent.”

Another message states:

“Do not sign anything before speaking with a lawyer. You have the right to talk to a lawyer.”

If a person is outside their home, the recommendation is to ask whether they are free to leave and, if the answer is yes, to walk away calmly.

The card also suggests handing the card to the agent or showing it through a window if the person is inside the home.

The migrant red card is a tool circulating since 2007

The initiative began in 2007 following a series of workplace raids that, according to the ILRC, “terrorized the community.”

Since then, the organization has distributed the cards to schools, churches, clinics, food banks and lawyers who work with migrants.

The design is also available for download on the organization’s website so anyone can print copies.

According to the group:

“Since the elections (the presidential election on November 5), we have received requests for a total of nine million cards, more than the total of the previous 17 years.”

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A context of high vulnerability

According to data from the Pew Research Center based on 2022 figures, about 11 million undocumented people were living in the United States.

That represents 23% of the immigrant population and 3.3% of the total U.S. population.

Among them were approximately four million people from Mexico and 1.9 million from the Northern Triangle of Central America.

The figures also included more than 270,000 people born in Venezuela and about 750,000 people from India living in the country without authorization.

“Simple, but high impact”

Activists say that although the card is a small resource, its impact can be significant.

Community organizations in agricultural regions of California have distributed hundreds of thousands of copies.

One of the informational leaflets distributed alongside the card reads:

“Make sure you always carry the red card to explain and enforce your rights if an immigration agent stops you.”

For many migrants, carrying this document does not eliminate the risk, but it provides a concrete tool to face a critical moment with greater clarity and legal awareness, according to reporting cited by Yahoo.

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