Know Your Rights: Keeping ICE Out of Masajid

February 11, 2026 adminsr

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or include legal advice.

Last updated: February 9, 2026

Table of Contents:

What steps can masajid take to reduce the threat of ICE?

Identify an Attorney Point of Contact (whether that means hiring a private attorney with immigration expertise, or developing a relationship with a civil rights organization like CAIR).
Adopt an internal policy for dealing with ICE. This should include:
Labeling areas where you can limit public access, like the musallah, meeting rooms, offices, and the kitchen, as “private areas” so that ICE cannot enter without consent. You can do this by:
1. Adding a security desk, a buzzer system, or a volunteer staffed sign-in system at the main entrance.
2. Create permanent signs (think plaques not paper) explicitly identifying spaces like offices, meeting rooms, counseling rooms, the kitchen, etc, as “private spaces.” Include why they’re private (e.g. “for staff use” or “for counseling use”), but do not mention law enforcement on signs.
3. Create physical barriers – like locked doors – between public spaces (like the parking lot or lobby which can’t be protected) and private spaces.
4. Ensure congregants, volunteers, and security know not to allow ICE entry, and instead ask them to contact Masjid leadership.
Train staff, volunteers, and security on how to respond if ICE arrives at the masjid.
1. Ensure staff, volunteers, and security can quickly contact the designated person on Masjid leadership, and ask ICE officers to wait until that person arrives. Ask them to avoid otherwise interacting with ICE.
2. Ensure they’re trained to refuse entry to ICE unless ICE has a judicial warrant (which is different from an administrative warrant).
Ask community members not to engage directly with ICE and instead contact the designated person on Masjid leadership.
Install video cameras at key points to preserve evidence in case ICE is on the scene.
Train employees, volunteers, security, and community members on a Crisis Response Plan.

Designate specific individuals to deal with all immigration enforcement attempts, who should be contacted immediately. These individuals should be U.S. citizens.
1. Ensure all others know not to speak, stay in private areas, and remain silent. Remind the community at jummah or before taraweeh to leave all law enforcement interactions to trained individuals.
2. If you’ve hired any private security, ensure they are trained and know to direct ICE to the designated individuals.
3. Ensure you are compliant with federal harboring laws, which prohibits individuals from knowingly concealing unauthorized individuals from the government.
  1. Harboring laws do not prevent you from asking to see officer identification, tell the officer you would like to remain silent in response to question, or verbally refuse to allow a search without a warrant. For further resources on harboring, see here and here.
Train designated individuals on:
1. The difference between judicial warrants (which would allow ICE entry) and administrative warrants (which do not allow entry).
  1. Designated individual should check warrant, they are required to comply if:
    1. Warrant is signed by state or federal judge, not an immigration judge or federal agency AND
    2. The date and address matches up.
  2. But only allow access to areas noted in the warrant (if the warrant says office only, do not allow entry into the rest of the masjid).
2. The difference between private spaces (which ICE cannot enter without consent or a warrant) and public spaces (which they can enter and stay in).
3. Their rights generally when interacting with law enforcement or ICE.
If an ICE officer arrives on scene, the designated individual should:
1. Alert an attorney (if they are not one).
2. Step outside of the masjid to speak with ICE officers and close the door to private spaces behind them.
3. Repeatedly clarify for ICE officers which areas are private.
4. Remember that you are not required to answer any questions about anyone’s immigration status.
5. Designate an individual to film the interaction, if needed, but remind them not to speak. Ensure that this individual keeps a safe distance, and knows their rights on recording.
6. Take note of all badge numbers, officer names, uniforms, and descriptions. Note the difference between CBP and ICE uniforms. Photograph documents.
After an ICE raid:
1. Report the incident to your legal point of contact.
2. Notify other masjid or houses of worship in your area.
3. Share widely with the community in case individuals may be especially at risk.
Educate community members on their rights by hosting Know Your Rights workshops with local attorneys, making relevant announcements at Jummah, disseminating written information through email and group chats, and hanging infographics around the masjid.

The Masjid designates XYZ areas as “private” locations. Permanent, clear, and visible signage has been put up accordingly, describing the use of the area.

If possible: For Ramadan events, there will be a [describe check-in system] to allow individuals further access, clearly delineating the public and private areas of the masjid.
If possible: The Masjid is installing video cameras that point to the entryway of the building and prayer hall areas.

The Masjid is holding a specialized training for staff and volunteers at XYZ date, pre-Ramadan. All staff and volunteers will be trained on how to respond to immigration enforcement, the right to remain silent, the difference between administrative orders, judicial warrants, and other critical info.
The Masjid is posting up infographics educating community members about their rights, the difference between warrants, and what to do and what not to do in case of enforcement.
The Masjid designates XYZ as the authorized individuals that are trained to deal with any ICE or CBP agents. There will be at least two authorized individuals every day of Ramadan, and especially nights with high attendants. No one else, whether from leadership or the general populace, will be dealing with immigration law enforcement in case of a raid.
The Masjid has set up the following emergency point of contacts to inform them during and after an ICE raid: [attorney, civil rights org, etc.]. In addition, the Masjid will inform other nearby masajid and houses of worship of such enforcement as soon as reasonably possible.

Ensure these 5 major categories are checked off before Ramadan.

1. Clear Physical Boundaries:

2. Training Volunteers and Authorized Individuals

Have you scheduled a specific training for how to deal with immigration enforcement for your staff and volunteers handling Ramadan logistics?
Have you contacted attorneys and/or civil rights organizations to give these presentations?
Have you designated specific people as the authorized individuals to deal with any ICE presence?
Have you set up specific, detailed training for these authorized individuals?

3. Educating Community Members

Have you scheduled a community education workshop for the general community about what to do if immigration enforcement occurs during Ramadan, and your masjid’s crisis plan?
Have you posted infographics, physically and virtually, reminding community members of their rights, and your internal crisis plan?
Have you placed quickly-accessible hard copy examples of different types of warrants near the door that an authorized individual or congregant can refer to?

4. Local Hotlines

Do you have a phone number of a local attorney or civil rights organization that you can call at any time in case of an ICE raid?
Do you have the contact of your local masajid and other houses of worship that you can contact to inform them?
Do you have a community listserv or group chat where you can inform members of immigration enforcement activity, and keep them in the loop?

5. Internal Policies & Procedures

Have you adopted internal policies that cement these procedures pre-Ramadan?
Have you established a crisis management response plan?
Have you informed leadership, staff, and any outside security that only the trained, authorized individuals will discuss with ICE?

Know Your Rights: Keeping ICE Out of Masajid