Understand your labor rights as a domestic worker and your rights as an immigrant in order to safeguard your future. This hub is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
Learn more about your rights as an immigrant and your labor rights as a domestic worker:
Everyone inside the United States has certain legal rights, regardless of your immigration status:
In this moment it is especially important that immigrant communities are informed about our rights and how to defend them. You can join a community organization where you live, and if you haven’t signed up to receive updates and get involved with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, you can sign up here.
Click on a topic to learn more about your rights as an immigrant:
If you are a parent you can create an emergency plan to protect your children in case of a detention or deportation.
You can also fill out and sign a power of attorney. This is a document that you use to authorize someone trusted to make financial, legal and childcare related decisions in your absence. It is a temporary authorization and does not require you to give up your parental rights. An attorney or legal services organization can advise you on how to create one.
Many banks, credit unions, shipping stores (United States Post Office, UPS, FedEx etc.), local government offices, law firms, tax preparer or accountant offices, auto tag and license service centers, and public libraries may offer notary services.
This guide on creating a Family Preparedness Plan from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, has examples of relevant documents.
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
Everyone in the U.S. has rights, no matter where they are from or their immigration status. These rights are in the U.S. Constitution, which helps protect us from unfair treatment by the police or government. It’s important to know your rights, like the right to stay quiet, the right to talk to a lawyer, and what to do if the police or immigration agents come to your home or stop you on the street.
In case of an immigration raid, detention or attempted arrest:
Know what a legal warrant looks like. The top image shows a legal judicial warrant with the information required for a legal search.
The bottom image is an immigration order, which ICE often tries to use, but if you know your rights, you know that this type of warrant does not have enough information for a legal search.
SOURCE: waisn.org
To be prepared for a raid or arrest:
It may be stressful to think about facing immigration raids or detentions. Practicing somatic centering can help you stay grounded and connected to your strength in moments of high stress. Even a simple breathing or centering practice can help you return to yourself and make clearer decisions in the moment. Watch our video for more tips on centering.
For more information about your rights and what might happen in an immigration raid, arrest, or detention, you can check out the Immigrant Defense Project‘s resources.
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
It can be hard and scary to find someone you care about after they are arrested for immigration reasons. The government keeps people in many different jails and prisons, sometimes far from their family and lawyers.
This guide will help you look for someone who was taken by immigration officers and may be facing deportation.
The government has different offices that deal with immigration. If someone you care about was arrested and you think they may be deported, it helps to know which government office might be holding or detaining them.
Agencies:
Follow these steps to try to figure out where your loved one is being held.
Exceptions:
More and more, the government is charging immigrants with federal crimes related to migration. In these cases, the person might be in a BOP prison and should have a federal public defender (free lawyer). You can search for them using the BOP’s online inmate locator system here.
Under the current Trump administration, ICE has arrested people and disappeared them to military bases and jails in other countries, like Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and a prison called the “Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo,” or CECOT, in El Salvador. The CECOT prison has horrific conditions, and the U.S. is claiming it doesn’t have the authority to release someone once they are jailed there.
SOURCE: National Immigration Law Center
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
You can get legal help for your case from a nonprofit organization or a private immigration lawyer. Nonprofits have lawyers and/or specialized staff called BIA reps who can help with immigration cases.
BIA representatives are trained and accredited professionals who are not attorneys but have been approved by the Department of Justice to provide immigration legal services based on their education and experience in immigration law. BIA reps must work for a non-profit organization providing immigration legal services to low-income clients.
Help from a nonprofit is free or low-cost for low-income people. If you use a private lawyer, you will have to pay the lawyer’s fee. To find a nonprofit near you, go to the Legal Help page on this site.
If you want a private lawyer who knows about immigration law go to the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s website.
Only lawyers and BIA accredited representatives (BIA reps) are qualified to give immigration legal advice. Notarios and “immigration consultants” are not qualified to give legal advice. Notarios and bad lawyers can damage an immigration case and charge a lot of money for bad service or no service at all. Avoid fraud or bad legal service by finding out more about the person who will work on your case.
If a lawyer or BIA accredited representative (BIA rep) can take your case, s/he will ask you to sign an agreement that shows you will work together. Before you sign, ask for:
Keep a copy of the documents you give the lawyer or BIA rep; and get a copy of the applications or other documents they file for you. Tell your lawyer or BIA rep if you change your address or phone number.
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
These are some of the factors that can affect your eligibility in the immigration process:
A lawyer can help you understand if these problems affect your case or if there is a way to fix a problem. Go to How do I get legal help for my immigration case? to learn how to work with a lawyer or BIA rep, and avoid notarios and immigration consultants.
Go to How to prepare in case of an immigration raid or arrest to learn more about your rights and how to avoid immigration problems.
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
Effective April 11, 2025, a new registration requirement went into effect. Under Executive Order 14159, signed on January 20, 2025 by President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will require immigrants who remain in the country for more than 30 days to complete a registration process.
There are currently several pending lawsuits challenging this new registration requirement. Before deciding whether you need to complete this registration process, you should consult with a trusted immigration lawyer to determine the best course of action for your individual case.
Currently, the law states that all noncitizens over age 14 who remain in the U.S. for 30 days or more are required to register. (The law instructs parents to register those that are under age 14.) The law requires people to register before the 30-day period ends. The government posted a new form on the USCIS website for those that are not yet registered to use, Form G-325R.
Many people do not need to submit this form. See #4.
The following documents count as registration:
You may already be registered and not know it.
I am eligible for an immigration status or benefit.
I don’t qualify for an immigration benefit or status. I am undocumented.
You should speak to an immigration attorney about your situation before submitting the G-325R form online.
If you do not register, the government can charge you with a misdemeanor crime if your failure to register was willful (that is, on purpose). This could result in a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
You can print a red card here and access more Know Your Rights tools at ilrc.org.
SOURCE: Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Learn more about your immigrant rights.
Read about your labor rights as a domestic worker.
The federal government and the states have laws to protect domestic workers. These laws protect against unfair, dangerous, or illegal working conditions. Workers can take steps to understand the laws and protect themselves.
Click on a topic to learn more about your rights as a domestic worker:
Learn more about your domestic worker labor rights.
Read about your rights as an immigrant.
Learn more about your rights as a domestic worker, and join together with other domestic workers fighting for rights, dignity, and respect, with the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Learn more about your domestic worker labor rights.
Read about your rights as an immigrant.
Learn more about your domestic worker labor rights.
Read about your rights as an immigrant.
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