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A 13-year-old in Phoenix is home alone after school when someone knocks and says they are from immigration. Her mother keeps a red card on the fridge. She does not open the door. She slides the card underneath and waits. That card comes from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), a nonprofit legal group, which says it has handed out 10 million of them since November 2024. The cards are free, and anyone can use them, citizen or not.
What the card says
One side is for you. It says: do not open the door, do not answer questions, do not sign anything before you talk to a lawyer, and if you are outside, ask whether you are free to leave. If the answer is yes, leave calmly.
The other side is for the agent. It says you do not wish to speak or sign anything, based on the Fifth Amendment, which protects your right to stay silent. It says you do not give permission to enter your home or search your things, based on the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches, unless the agent has a warrant signed by a judge with your name on it.
Why the door matters
In Payton v. New York (1980), the U.S. Supreme Court said the Fourth Amendment draws a firm line at the entrance to a home: without an emergency or consent, officers need a warrant to go in and make a routine arrest. Consent means saying yes. Opening the door wide can look like a yes, which is why the card goes under the door instead.
The warrant detail matters too. The red card asks for a warrant signed by a judge or magistrate, with your name on it, slid under the door so you can read who signed it without opening up. If the paper is not signed by a judge, you do not have to open the door because of it.
What to say, and what not to say
Short sentences work best. 'I want to remain silent.' 'I do not consent to a search.' 'Am I free to leave?' 'I want to speak to a lawyer.' Then stop talking.
Do not say where you were born, what country you are from, or anything about your papers or anyone else's. If you do not want to answer, say nothing rather than make something up. Do not run or push, even if you are scared. Stay calm and keep your hands where the agent can see them.
If agents come in anyway, do not fight them. Say clearly, I do not consent. Later, write down what happened, the time, and any names or badge numbers you saw.
Get your card and practice
Download and print the free cards from the ILRC Red Cards page. They come in many languages, including English and Spanish. ILRC warns that some sellers charge for copies; the real cards are free.
Keep one by the door and one in your backpack or phone case. Practice the four sentences out loud with your family. Then write a lawyer's number on the back, because ILRC says the card is not legal advice for your own case.
Da ricordare
- Do not open the door. Slide the red card underneath and ask for a warrant signed by a judge.
- You have the right to remain silent and the right not to sign anything without a lawyer.
- Outside the home, ask 'Am I free to leave?' and walk away calmly if the answer is yes.
- The cards are free from ILRC in many languages. Do not pay for them.
Fonti
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