Supporting Our Community

You do not have to open the door for anyone. Immigration agents and the police can’t come into your home without a search warrant signed by a judge. If the officers say they have a search warrant signed by a judge, ask them to slide it under the door. An ICE deportation warrant is not the same as a search warrant signed by a judge.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) emphasizes that an officer has the right to enter your place of residence only if they have a search warrant. If they do have a warrant, AILA recommends you ask them to slide it under the door or hold it up to a window. A search warrant is valid only if it has the correct name, correct address, and a judge’s signature. 

• If you are presented with a valid search warrant, take a picture of the document if possible.
• If the officer does not have a search warrant with a judge's signature and you have decided to exercise your right to deny them entry, tell them. Say, “I do not consent to you entering my home."

Under the Fifth Amendment, you have the right to remain silent and to speak with an attorney before answering any questions. If confronted by agents, hand them a tear-away card and do not say anything. The card states that you are exercising your right to remain silent until you have talked with a lawyer.

Do not sign any forms you don’t understand. Signing a paper may constitute an agreement to leave the United States voluntarily. Do not give out false documents; providing false documents may result in deportation and criminal charges. Cultation with legal services can be helpful in dealing with this issue.

Stay calm and do not run. Take videos and photos unless you are on federal grounds (courts, federal buildings, etc.). Write down the license plate number, the type of car driven, the number of agents, the time, and exactly what happened.

Keep the phone number of a legal services provider with you. If ICE has taken a loved one, take down your loved one’s Alien number (this will help you track them) and find a trustworthy lawyer. Make plans for any dependents (children or older dependents).

You do not have to consent to a search of your person or your belongings, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advises that if you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your immigration papers, you must show the agent the papers if you have them with you.

• Carry your immigration documents with you at all times.
• Keep your hands where the immigration officer can see them.

• In your home or on the street
• In your car
• If taken to immigration detention

The New York Civil Liberties Union
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) offers numerous trainings and workshops for New Yorkers on a range of civil liberties and civil rights issues. Learn more

Right to Be
Right to Be's mission is to build safe, inclusive public spaces by transforming the culture that perpetuates harassment and discrimination. They carry out this mission by providing workshops that enable ordinary people to create safe and welcoming environments for all. Learn more

Interrupting Criminalization
Beyond Do No Harm Resistance Lab Session: How we fight back against the surveillance of care and more. Tuesday, February 18, 6-7:30 pm ET
Interrupting Criminalization is an initiative that works with groups around the country to interrupt and end the growing criminalization and incarceration of women and LGBTQ people of color for criminalized acts related to public order, poverty, child welfare, drug use, survival and self-defense, including criminalization and incarceration of survivors of violence. Register here

The National Immigration Law Center Workshops
Scaling Up Short-Term Immigration Legal Defense Post-Raid—February 19, 2025, 2:00 p.m. ET
This session will cover systems for addressing immediate immigration needs following raids, including establishing a hotline for families, identifying their immediate needs, best practices for intake and data entry, locating detained workers, liaising with consulates, and working with immigration attorneys on bond and deportation defense. The session will also highlight the importance of on-the-ground coordination, especially in the chaotic first days after a raid, and the need for consistent communication with and support for both detainees and their families. Register now

F-1 and J-1 International Students and Scholars
It is important that F and J international students and scholars follow the regulations for F or J status and our guidance on maintaining your nonimmigrant status while in the United States. You must also be sure to report any address changes within ten days of moving within the United States. As someone who is maintaining your nonimmigrant status, you can rest assured that you are in the United States lawfully with proper documentation.

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) recommends the following:

• If you are approached by an ICE agent and asked for immigration documentation, you must show them the documents proving your F or J status.
• The physical document you are required to keep with you at all times is your I-94 record. The I-94 is your certificate of registration of entry into the United States and changes every time you enter the country.
• You must also have the following immigration documentation available to show. ISSS recommends that you save these documents on your phone in a folder or other electronic device with easy access.
• Passport
• Visa
• Signed I-20
• I-797A (if you have changed status)
• Store all original documents in a secure location at home. This may be a safe, a lockbox, a filing area, or another location you feel is secure.
• Carry your university ID to show that you are a student at The New School.
• Maintain access to your course registration to show that you are an enrolled student.
• Be sure to have contact information for ISSS saved in your phone for easy access, in case any information needs to be confirmed by an ICE agent.
• Report any interactions you have with ICE agents to [email protected].
• If you have any questions or concerns, meet with an ISSS advisor.

International Student and Scholar Services Contact Information
[email protected]
212.229.5592
Emergency After Hours Phone: 212.229.7000
Have your New School ID number ready and state that you are an international student.

Virtual Drop-In Advising
Tuesday, 2:00–4:00 p.m. Zoom link

In-Person Drop-In Advising
Thursday, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
72 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor

One-on-One Virtual Advising
Enrolled students: Sign up through Starfish.

Scholars and OPT students: Please call the phone line to schedule an appointment.

• The Immigrant Defense Project provides a wealth of resources and support for communities to access. These documents are available in multiple languages.
• Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs: Know Your Rights with ICE
• ACLU Know Your Rights webpage
• ACLU Know Your Rights booklet with FAQ on situations involving questioning, stops and arrests, and searches and warrants and a special section for non–U.S. citizens
• Immigrant Defense Project, which partners with the Center for Constitutional Rights and Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility: Train the Trainer Workshop
• American Immigration Lawyers Association's Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer, or Public Space
• ACLU Know Your Rights: What to Do When Encountering Law Enforcement at Airports and Other Ports of Entry into the U.S.
• weprotectusny.org and nosprotegemosny.org from Make the Road NY have additional resources about your rights and flyers that can be printed out.
• The Migration Policy Institute's report, ICE Arrests and Deportations from the U.S. Interior, offers details of and data on who can be deported, the consequences of removal, the way ICE operates, and the role of sanctuary cities.

Gender Identity Protection In New York State
The Division of Human Rights (DHR) is the agency charged with the enforcement of the New York State Human Rights Law. The passage of Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) makes clear to all New Yorkers that discrimination based on gender identity or expression is unlawful and that victims have recourse at DHR to vindicate their rights. DHR provides an efficient and cost-free process in which complaints alleging discrimination are promptly investigated and adjudicated, with monetary and other remedies awarded by DHR when discrimination is found.

New York State Division of Human Rights Contact Information
[email protected]
888.392.3644
Instagram: @nyshumanrights 
Facebook: @nyshumanrights
X: @nyshumanrights

New York State Resources

• The Governor’s LGBTQ webpage
• GENDA Public Awareness Campaign website
• Discrimination Based on Gender Identity or Expression
• Gender Identity Discrimination by Hospitals

Other Resources

• Syracuse University'sPronoun, Gender, and Preferred Name Advisory Council
• The Anti-Violence Project 24 Hour Hotline - 212.714.1141
  The Anti-Violence Project empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy
• Trans Lifeline - 877.565.8860
  The Trans Lifeline is a suicide hotline for and by trans people
• Safe Horizon 24 Hour Hotline - 800.621.4673
  Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim assistance organization for survivors of sexual assault, family/intimate partner violence, harassment, stalking, and trafficking. 
• National Suicide Prevention Line
  Call 988 or text "HOME" to 741 741. Press 3 after dialing 988 to be connected to a LGBTQ-trained crisis counselor, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• New York State Crisis Text Line
  Text "GOT 5" to 741 741 for 24 hour crisis support.
• Samaritans of New York Suicide Prevention Hotline - 212.673.3000
  Free, non-judgmental emotional support for those who are overwhelmed, depressed, in crisis or suicidal. Community-based. Completely confidential. Suicide Survivor Support Groups Services are provided 24 hours/7 days a week.
• The Trevor Project - 866.488.7386 or text “Start” to 678 678
  The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

Right to Be
Right to Be's mission is to build safe, inclusive public spaces by transforming the culture that perpetuates harassment and discrimination. They carry out this mission by providing workshops that empower everyday people to create safe and welcoming environments for all.

• All Gender bathrooms flyers
• Map of All Gender Bathrooms on Campus
• Name Change and ID Cards
• Gender Identity and Pronouns

Medical Care

• HIV/AIDS flyer for students
• Reproductive Health Care flyer for students
• LGBTQ Affirming Health and Wellness
• The Student Health Insurance Plan covers gender-affirming medical and mental healthcare 
• Employee Assistance Program for faculty and staff
• Gender Affirming Care Benefits for Faculty and Staff

• LightHouse Collective
• NYS Human Rights Law and Resource Guide
• New York City Human Rights Law
• NYCLU and workshops they provide
• Legal Services of New York City
• New York State Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health and Human Services Network
• New York Equal Rights Amendment: What the Amendment Will and Won’t Do

Legal Help

• Law For Black Lives
  Law for Black Lives is a Black-led, queer, abolition-minded, multiracial, feminist and anti-capitalist movement. Made up of a network of nearly 6,000 radical lawyers and legal advocates, we are building a legal network that supports Black organizing and Black movements for liberation through community action.
• Sylvia Rivera Law Project
  Aims to provide access to free, quality, respectful, affirming legal services for low-income transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people. Can support gender-affirming names and gender changes.
• Advocates for Trans Law Students
  Help trans and nonbinary people in New York City change their gender markers and name in court. And they provide a step by step guide on how to walk through the process.
• American Civil Liberties Union
  Resource for Constitutional rights.
• NYLAG - LGBT Law Project 212.613.5000, x 5107
  Provides legal assistance and referrals to low-income LGBT communities of NY.
• Transgender Legal Defense Fund 646.862.9396
  National nonprofit civil rights organization committed to ending discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
• HIV Law Project 212.577.3001
  Free legal services for HIV positive individuals living in Manhattan or Bronx or homeless in New York City.
• Immigration Equality 212.714.2904
  Free legal assistance for LGBT and HIV+ immigrants and asylum seekers.
• Queer Detainee Empowerment Project
  The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project assists folks coming out of immigration detention in securing structural, health/wellness, educational, legal, and emotional support and services.
• Callen Lorde
  As a patient at Callen Lorde, you can receive legal assistance for free or sliding

Shelters and Respites

• Safe Horizon
  LGBT-friendly, Streetwork Project provides shelters known as drop-in centers for homeless teens and young adults up to ages 24 in New York City, as well as serving a variety of other marginalized groups. Check the website for a full range of services.
  • Harlem Drop-In Center - 209 West 125th St - 2nd Floor 10027
  • Lower East Side Drop-In Center - 33 Essex Street 10002
• Ali Forney Center
  Our mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. Medical services, food, clothing, and other resources are offered for young people. After intake at the 24/7 Drop-In Center, young people may be eligible for emergency or transitional housing programs.
• Good Shepherd Safe Homes 212.243.7070
  Community based domestic violence and service program with a hotline, counseling, safety planning, advocacy and a 20-bed shelter. Spanish speakers and LGBTQ survivors of partner violence welcome.
• Community Access Respite
  Up to a seven day stay in a community home with single beds, optional daily workshops, and free meals for folks experiencing crisis in a peer support environment.

Off Campus Medical and Mental Health

• Callen-Lorde - Manhattan, Bronx, and Brooklyn locations
• LGBT Community Center
• Project Stay

Breaking News

• N.Y. Attorney General Warns Hospitals Against Canceling Transgender Care