Recording Incidents Safely

Staying Safe Around ICE

Practical steps to protect yourself and others during ICE activity, based on 2025 guidance and current patterns of enforcement.

This page is for anyone who might encounter ICE — whether at home, on the street, at work, or during an incident you witness. These steps focus on safety, situational awareness, and reducing harm while preserving evidence.

1. Stay Calm and Assess the Situation

ICE operations often happen quickly and aggressively. Your first priority is your own safety.

• Take a breath, stay steady.
• Do not run unless there is clear and immediate danger.
• Look at the agents’ uniforms, patches, and vehicles from a distance.

If you feel panic, repeat to yourself: “I am not going to panic. I am going to observe.”

2. Keep Your Distance

Never insert yourself directly into an operation. Stay:

• Across the street, or
• Several car lengths away, or
• Near a public space where others are present.

Keeping distance protects:

• You
• The person being targeted
• Your ability to record safely

3. Identify Who Is Involved

ICE operations frequently involve:

• ICE ERO agents
• ICE HSI agents
• CBP agents
• Local police working under 287(g) agreements
• Plain-clothes ICE officers with tactical vests
• Unmarked or rental vehicles

Note:

• Patches
• Vehicle plates
• Agency insignia
• Uniform colors
• Any mention of warrants

You don’t need to engage — just observe.

4. Recording Safely

You have the right to record in public if you do not interfere.

• Keep your phone steady.
• Do not get close enough to be seen as obstructing.
• Capture vehicles, uniforms, and what agents say.
• If agents order you to stop, calmly state:

 “I am recording from a safe distance. I am not interfering.”

If possible:

• Film from behind a parked car
• Film from a shop doorway
• Film from across the street

If things escalate, retreat immediately.

5. Never Open Your Door Without a Judicial Warrant

If ICE is near your home:

• Keep doors shut.
• Speak through the door.
• Ask them to slide any warrant under the door.
• Judicial warrants must be signed by a **judge**, not ICE.

If the signature area says **ICE**, **DHS**, or **Immigration Officer**, it is not valid, and you do **not** have to open the door.

6. Do Not Sign Anything ICE Gives You

ICE paperwork is dangerous. Do **not** sign:

• “Voluntary departure”
• “Stipulated removal”
• Any form you don’t understand

Signing can trigger immediate deportation. Say: “I will not sign anything without speaking to a lawyer.”

7. If You’re Pulled Over or Approached in a Car

• Keep your hands visible.
• You only have to show your **driver’s license** if you are driving.
• You do **not** need to answer questions about immigration status.
• You can refuse consent to search your vehicle.

Say: “I do not consent to a search.”

8. If ICE Is Near Your Workplace

ICE can enter:

• Public-facing areas — without a warrant

But they **cannot** enter:

• Back offices
• Kitchens
• Storage areas
• Any employee-only area

Unless:

• A **judicial warrant** is signed by a judge, or
• Your employer lets them in

You still have your rights:

• Silence
• No consent to searches
• No obligation to show immigration documents

9. If You Witness an ICE Operation

Stay safe while gathering evidence.

• Stay out of their path
• Do not engage agents
• Do not shout or escalate
• Keep filming if it’s safe
• Document the time, location, and any vehicles
• Note which neighbors, bystanders, or businesses witnessed it

Immediately after:

• Move to a safer location
• Write down everything while it’s fresh

Submit what you saw: How to Report an Incident

10. Use a Safety Plan

Every household and workplace should have a basic plan:

• Who to call
• Where documents are stored
• Who can pick up kids
• A backup contact outside the home
• An emergency lawyer contact if available

Keep essential documents in one place:

• Birth certificates
• Work permits
• Passports
• Medical records

11. If Someone Is Taken by ICE

Act quickly:

• Gather their full name, country of birth, and A-number
• Contact a lawyer or legal aid group
• Do **not** sign anything on their behalf
• Search for them using ICE’s detainee locator if applicable

Avoid rumors — verify everything.

See Also

• [[ICE List:Know Your Rights]]
• How to Report an Incident
• [[ICE List:Image Submission Rules]]
• [[ICE List:Verification System]]