A Lawrence-based collective advocating for immigrant rights is asking people to call their rapid response hotline if they spot any potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity around town.
In his second term as president, Donald Trump has sharply increased deportations, immigration arrests and ICE hirings. His administration’s efforts have included sending masked agents into cities far from the southern border, including Kansas City, and arresting people off the street. ICE activity has increased nationwide, including in Kansas, during the last year.
Sanctuary Alliance is a collective that educates allies and resources the local immigrant community while aiming to hold the city accountable for ICE interactions. The group operates a rapid response hotline where it receives tips on possible ICE sightings around Lawrence, investigates them and posts pertinent information on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
They said folks should use the acronym SALUTE when deciding what information to report. Here’s a breakdown of the acronym, per Sanctuary Alliance’s infographics and trainings:
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
• S: Size and strength of the group, such as “3 – 4 medium-sized men”
• A: Action and activities, such as “surrounding a vehicle and knocking on the window”
• L: Location and direction, such as indicating a parking lot at a specific intersection
• U: Uniform and clothes, such as “No uniform. Plain clothes with a vest. Faces covered.”
• T: Time and date of the sighting
• E: Equipment and weapons that the potential officers are armed with
You can reach the Sanctuary Alliance hotline at 795-289-5143.
They collaborate with Somos Lawrence, a grassroots organization supporting non-English speakers, particularly Spanish speakers. Somos operates a hotline that you people reach at 785-813-1098.
Know your rights
The National Immigrant Justice Center offers recommendations for encountering ICE and has sample administrative and judicial warrants to review on its website. For more information, read this article.
Sanctuary Alliance also encourages people to remember their basic constitutional rights.
The First Amendment affords everyone the right to record interactions with ICE or law enforcement officers as long as you do not interfere with proceedings.
A graphic from Sanctuary Alliance says to “back up if you are told to do so” when recording.
The Fourth Amendment allows people to refuse a search without a judicial warrant. The NIJC recommends not opening the door if an officer knocks, and teaching that to children.
“Officers must have a warrant signed by a judge to enter your home,” per this NIJC fact sheet. “ICE ‘warrants’ are not signed by judges; they are ICE forms signed by ICE officers and they do not grant authority to enter a home without consent of the occupant(s).”
Everyone, undocumented or not, has the right to remain silent and the right to due process of law under the Fifth Amendment.
Appleseed, a national organization, has a free deportation preparation manual at deportationpreparation.org.
Learn more
Sanctuary Alliance hosts regular Community Solidarity & Defense Trainings. Trainings set for next week have filled up, but those who are interested can watch for future dates and how to sign up through the link in the group’s Instagram bio.
Folks throughout Lawrence and the surrounding area have organized actions to decry the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and ICE activity. Read more about a protest in downtown Lawrence here, and about walkouts organized by high school students here.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Know your rights
If you’re stopped by police:
• Rather than be confrontational during an interaction with police, it’s better to exercise your right to remain silent.
• If an officer asks you for identifying information, confirm that you are being required to provide that information.
• You do not have to consent to a search. Clarify whether you are able to refuse a search. If an officer believes your car contains evidence, your car can be searched without your consent.
More: ACLU of Kansas — Know Your Rights when Stopped by Police in Kansas
If you’re confronted by ICE:
• Stay calm. If you have lawful immigration status, show your documentation. If you’re undocumented, don’t provide false documents, and don’t discuss your immigration status with police, ICE or other officials.
• If an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official comes to your door, don’t open your door. Officers must have a warrant signed by a judge to enter your home. ICE “warrants” do not grant authority to enter a home without consent of the occupant.
More: National Immigrant Justice Center — Know Your Rights: What to do if You or a Loved One is Detained; If You Encounter ICE
If someone you know is arrested in Douglas County:
• You can check the jail’s booking log at this link to confirm and see if a bond amount has been set.
• If bond is set in the case, you can pay it online via this link.
• The Douglas County Community Bail Fund might be able to help with limited assistance for misdemeanor bails. Call 785-764-3684 or email DGCOBailFund@gmail.com.
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
