If You See ICE Detaining Someone, Here’s What To Do!

(COPY THIS TO YOUR PHONE) 

1. Film, call the hotline

If you see ICE trying to detain someone, the first thing to do is call the PIRC hotline as quickly as possible at 1-888-622-1510. While PIRC says “Portland” in its name, it is a statewide rapid response network that can send local responders to the site — anyone in Oregon can call the same number. PIRC has relationships with Equity Corps of Oregon attorneys who do legal deportation defense — a critical piece of the response for detainees.

At the same time, try to start filming the activity right away. If two people are present, one person can call PIRC while the other films.

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2. Get information

One person should try to get the name and, if possible, the birth date of the person being detained. This information is helpful in two ways. First, attorneys need to know the name and birth date to activate a legal response to secure a person’s release. Additionally, it is helpful for people trying to locate a missing loved one.

 

3. Get friends or family to call PIRC directly

If a friend or family member is nearby during the incident, see if they can call PIRC directly to share as much information as possible. That includes where the detained person was born, their birth date and reliable contact information for a family member.

With enough information, PIRC or family members can search the ICE

detainee locator system to see if someone has been detained, which helps guide the response.

 

What to film

Advocates said it is good to know what information you should share if you find yourself at the scene of an arrest. There are various acronyms to help you remember what information you’re looking for, including CLEAR, ALERTA, or SALUTE — all of them mnemonic devices for this specific information.

Again, it is imperative that the information being shared is rooted in fact, not fear.

SALUTE: (Size, Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, Equipment)

Size: Number of officers

Activity: What are they doing? How are they treating the person? Did they show a warrant? Are they using excessive force?

Location: What is, more or less, the whereabouts of the activity? Be as specific as possible.

Uniform: What are the agents wearing? Plain clothes? Federal or local police labels?

Time: What date and time is it happening?

Equipment: Do they have handcuffs? Are they armed? What kind of vehicle are they driving? License plate number?

 

An observer should try to capture as much context of the arrest as possible. If there is a break in dialogue between ICE officers and the person they are detaining, a person filming can narrate into the video recording what exactly happened before they started filming.

For example, Lerner said: “Before I started filming, I saw three men, and they were walking around like they were racially profiling the people coming out of the Safeway. Then they went up to this guy, and I have no idea why they went up to him, but they went up to him, and I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they started speaking aggressively,
and that’s when I started filming.”

Lerner said documenting a pattern of ICE practices helps organizers know how to respond. It also helps PIRC know what to look for in the future, and helps PIRC then inform community members on what they should be looking for. Additionally, it helps lawyers know what patterns they should be tracking for their clients.

“As much information as people can get is helpful,” Lerner said.

Peña said anyone interested in doing more to defend immigrants rights can connect with rapid response organizations in their region to be a part of broader organizing and strategizing efforts. Oregon for All, a coalition that includes Immigration Law Lab, PIRC and dozens of other organizations, has resources available at oregonforall.us