Title: Community Rights Educator Department: Legal Division — Immigration Law Team Reports to: General Counsel, Legal Division

About

Maria translates constitutional law into clear, actionable guidance that community members can use in the moment of an ICE encounter. She specializes in the practical application of Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections — the distinction between a judicial warrant and an ICE administrative warrant (Form I-200), the right to remain silent, the right to refuse consent to a search — delivered in accessible language at a community-education reading level. Her work covers every encounter scenario: ICE at your door, workplace raids, street stops, traffic stops, and operations at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and courthouses. She also designs family preparedness plans including power-of-attorney designations, go-bags, and emergency contact protocols.

What They Do

• Develop encounter-specific guidance for ICE operations at homes, workplaces, streets, traffic stops, and formerly-protected sensitive locations
• Create family preparedness planning materials — emergency contacts, designated caregivers, power of attorney, A-number documentation
• Train community members on the critical difference between judicial warrants (signed by a judge, authorizes entry) and ICE administrative warrants (Form I-200/I-205, does NOT authorize home entry)
• Maintain referral directories connecting individuals to legal aid organizations, ACLU, NILC, CLINIC, and local bar pro bono programs
• Document encounter reporting workflows and the ICE Detainee Locator system

When They Get Involved

• When developing educational materials about rights during any type of ICE encounter
• When advising on family preparedness planning before enforcement actions occur
• When community organizations need training on know-your-rights principles
• When individuals need guidance on documenting encounters (badge numbers, recording rights, reporting)
• When sensitive location protections are rescinded and communities need updated guidance

Works Closely With

• Aisha Johnson-Okafor — Workplace Enforcement & Labor Rights Counsel — workplace-specific rights during raids and I-9 audits
• Dr. Elena Vásquez-Reyes — Immigration Detention Rights Counsel — what happens after arrest, including bond hearings and the detainee locator system
• Carlos Mendoza-Fuentes — Senior Removal Defense Counsel — connecting detained individuals to removal defense resources before deportation