DHS “Wellness Checks” On Immigrant Youth
“If you entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor or have been the sponsor of an unaccompanied minor, you may be contacted by immigration authorities and they may come to your home.” - New York Immigration Coalition
Emerging ice activity in Vermont
On a national level, the current administration has directed ICE to check on the "wellness" of unaccompanied children (UCs). How is DHS checking on UCs? DHS will sometimes contact unaccompanied children’s sponsors (parents, family members, or guardians) to inform sponsors that DHS will be visiting their homes to do a “wellness check.” Sometimes the checks are uninformed. When conducting these checks, DHS arrives at the family's home and knocks on the door and demands the door be opened. During these checks DHS possesses no valid warrants! They are not allowed to legally search the home. In VT, we have received many reports about families receiving these wellness checks at work and at home. Remember that ALL immigration agents work for the same agency that is civily prosecuting immigrants for deportation, and any information they gather about respondents in proceedings can and likely will be used against them. Treat these “wellness checks” as you would a routine “ICE Supervision” in St. Albans, for example:
Comply (with scheduled appointments) but do not Concede (any addition facts).
Invoke (your rights to remain silent, to an attorney, to not consent to searches) but do not Impede (with your body if they search or seize anyway).
If ice tries to enter your home
Our recent instagram post details how to protect yourself and avoid fraud. Additionally, according to IRLC's Family Preparedness Plan:
“If ICE knocks on your door, ask them to slide the search warrant under the door or show it through a window.
Make sure the warrant is signed by a judge and has your address on it.”
What if ICE asks to enter my home without a judicial warrant? “I do not consent to a search.”
An ICE agent cannot enter your home without a judicial warrant. If ICE agents persist, you are unable to physically stop them, but saying that you do not consent will help with a future legal case.
Also from IRLC's Family Preparedness Plan: “Keep a Know Your Rights red card on you and by your door at all times. The red card explains your rights and that you do not have to open the door. You can slide it under the door to ICE, show it to ICE, or read the English side of the card to ICE. Have your children and other family members practice showing it or sliding it under the door. You can find print-at-home red cards in 14 languages at https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards”
