Resources

Employer Guide · Updated October 2026

Beyond Compliance

How Employers Can Protect and Support Immigrant Workers

Most employer compliance toolkits focus on passing government audits. This guide is about how you care for your people and their families when enforcement creates fear and instability.

How to use this guide

This is not a checklist or a mandate. Not every employer has the same resources or flexibility, and even one or two of these practices make a difference.

Open each area, check off what you already do and copy the sample language you need.

Your progress0 of 19 practices in place

Six Areas

What You Can Do

Sample sanctuary workplace statement

Our organization stands with our immigrant employees and their families. We are committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace for all. We do not share employee information or permit access to our facilities without a valid judicial warrant. We will support employees impacted by immigration enforcement in the following ways: [list the resources and supports you will provide].

Sample script for front desk staff

I’m not authorized to grant access. May I please see a judicial warrant signed by a judge? I’ll notify our compliance officer immediately.

Check the Paperwork

Is It a Judicial Warrant?

Only a judicial warrant signed by a judge allows ICE into the non-public areas of your workplace. An immigration warrant signed by an ICE officer does not. Answer three questions about the document in front of you.

This is a guide, not legal advice. Call your legal counsel whenever ICE arrives.

Is it signed by a judge, not an immigration officer?
Does it name a court at the top, rather than the Department of Homeland Security or ICE?
Does it list your correct address and the specific areas to be searched, and is it still current?

Keep This Handy

In Case of ICE

Print this card for your front desk and your designated point person.

  1. Stay calm.
  2. Ask to see a judicial warrant.
  3. Refer agents to your designated point person.
  4. Do not consent to entry or release of information.
  5. Notify your legal counsel.
  6. Document everything: names, badge numbers, times and actions.
  7. Share Know Your Rights resources.
  8. Reassure employees: you have rights.

From Our Partners

Know Your Rights Materials

Free materials from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) to post at your entrances, keep at the front desk and share with your staff.

Know Your Rights When Confronted by ICE

A one-page flyer with five reminders. Everyone has rights, regardless of immigration status.

English (opens in a new tab)Español (opens in a new tab)

Signs for Your Entrances

States that ICE may not enter private areas without a judicial warrant and that harassment of guests or staff will not be tolerated. English and Spanish.

Download the signs (opens in a new tab)

Red Cards in 59 Languages

Business-card-size cards people can hand to an immigration officer to assert their rights, even if they don’t speak English. Print them for your staff in the languages they speak.

Download in English
Choose a language

Files open from ilrc.org, so you always get their latest version. More Know Your Rights tools from ILRC (opens in a new tab)

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational and educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Employers are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and should consult qualified legal counsel when developing policies related to immigration enforcement.