What are immigration red cards? How the internet is rallying behind undocumented workers

In the wake of Trump’s sweeping promises to “reform” the country’s immigration processes, crackdown on “illegal immigrants,” and repeal birthright citizenship (among several other terrifying promises to deport people en masse), the internet is arming their undocumented community members with the power of constitutional knowledge. 

After signing multiple executive orders and shutting down the CBP One app, Trump is set to sign his first immigration bill, mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with crimes, but migrant advocates and their allies are focusing on people in immediate need first. And their primary order of business is to get as much information, predominantly through widely-used immigration “red cards,” into the hands of undocumented people as possible — all while waiting out how Trump’s anti-green card decisions play out in court. 

Red cards (tarjetas rojas) are assertively eye-catching Know Your Rights resources popularized and disseminated by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), a national nonprofit immigration resource hub. 

The simple paper cards act as a defense against illegal entry and search by government entities, helping “people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home,” the ILRC explains. Individuals are encouraged to refrain from speaking or opening the door to immigration agents if they are approached, instead offering the multilingual red cards as a response asserting their legal rights and requests.

Red cards include an assertion of one’s right to remain silent and the following text in the non-English language of your choice:

1. Do not open the door. 

2. Ask to see a warrant signed by a judge. 

3. Do not answer any questions.

4. You have the right to remain silent.

5. Do not sign any documents. 

6. Ask for a lawyer.

On the English side, intended to be read by an inquiring ICE agent, the card says:

I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.
I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door.
I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights.
I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.

The ILRC offers free printable red card downloads in more than a dozen languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hmong, and Ukrainian.

“Trump wants to hold the entire country hostage to his anti-immigrant agenda by forcing states and localities to help him do immigration enforcement even if this is in contravention to their local priorities,” wrote ILRC Policy Director Sameera Hafizin in a statement following Trump’s executive order on immigration. “Studies have repeatedly shown that cooperating with ICE increases racial profiling by law enforcement.”

Users like @FlowersInSpanish, a digital advocate for migrant farm workers, have taken to social media to encourage their followers to act quickly and decisively to protect immigrants and undocumented people by distributing such red cards, even going directly to worker populations in agricultural areas. But you can also start closer to home: A Jan. 21 video posted by TikTok user @KristinDawnMunoz, detailing a kind encounter with a shop employee who helped her print out a set of red cards for friends and family, has been viewed by more than 1.2 million people. Munoz later pinned a printable PDF to her page, allowing others who had run to the recently-banned app to share the resource. Munoz also started a Go Fund Me to raise money for printing and sending out large quantities of red cards in support of the ILRC.

Institutions are speaking out, too. Los Angeles Unified School District, for example, shared immigration resources, including red cards, with students and families shortly after Trump’s inauguration. Trump recently authorized immigration enforcement on school grounds.

Immigrant rights organizations, artists, and advocates have shared their own versions of constitutional rights cards, like Barrio Drive, an undocumented-Latinx owned apparel and art business that fundraises for DACA renewals and provides other support to undocumented individuals. 

Barrio Drive has also shared a free Google drive of immigration information, art, and infographics to the public. For large organizations, bulk orders for ILRC’s red cards can also be made online. 

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Other advice circulating online included a widespread call for people to cry out “La Migra” — a Spanish slang term for immigration enforcement — whenever ICE agents are spotted in an area. This has long been used as a public distraction tactic to get people out of harm’s way quickly, but advocates also want folks to prioritize sharing resources before migration officials step in. Many users pointed to the Reddit page r/LaMigra, a subreddit dedicated to posting and tracking raids mainly around the 100-mile border enforcement zone, to help keep community members safe from ICE. 

Earlier this week, a group of 80 allied organizations penned a letter to U.S. government officials asking for leaders to shore up protections, including legal representation and mandates preventing law enforcement from cooperating with ICE agents, in light of Trump’s executive orders. “Trump is putting in motion efforts to target children and their parents on school grounds, coworkers in their workplaces, patients in their hospital beds, and neighbors in our grocery stores,” wrote the letter’s authors. “It is no exaggeration to say Trump’s anti-immigrant assaults will cost lives.”

Groups like the Immigrant Defense Project have shared additional resources for those at risk for detention and deportation, many of whom have been flocking to community and mutual aid networks, legal services, and policy advocates in anticipation of Trump’s immigration plan. For example, the organization recommends that undocumented individuals keep medical, childcare, and legal information on-hand and written down (not just saved digitally), in addition to contact information for family or other support. They also suggest getting screened by a lawyer to see if they qualify for deportation relief. 

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Beyond Legal Aid, a network of lawyers and activists that offer assistance to marginalized communities, have posted supplemental information for individuals with active UCIS cases or applications. The organization also runs a 24/7 immigration helpline at (872) 267-2252. And the National Immigrant Justice Center also published a guide to building a safety plan should Trump’s plan for mass deportation goes into effect. The center’s helpline can be reached at 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY or 1(855) 435-7693.

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Most importantly, advocates advise the public not to stoke more fear than necessary, only reporting active ICE raids when they are confirmed and an active risk for undocumented communities. 

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“ICE regularly tears people away from their children and communities, throws them into indefinite detention in a system where people are routinely abused, neglected, sexually assaulted, denied medical treatment, and denigrated in countless ways, and then deports people to countries they may or may not have any ties to,” wrote Hafiz. “Deportation is painful and cruel and even people who voted for Trump may find themselves or their family members/friends/community members swept up in these efforts that will be done via raids at workplaces and other places… Trump has convinced the American people that harsh immigration enforcement, including mass deportations, will make us safer, which is far from the truth.”