Delaware leaders launch ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign, urging immigrant communities to prepare for ICE encounters

What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Delaware leaders are encouraging residents to learn their civil rights before interacting with federal immigration authorities through a new “Know Your Rights” campaign that launched Tuesday.

Gov. Matt Meyer announced the initiative with other Delaware elected leaders in two informational videos — one in English and one in Spanish — along with a new website aimed at helping Delawareans understand their rights and available resources.

“Every Delawarean deserves to feel safe in their community, and that includes being prepared in case they encounter federal immigration authorities. That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to ‘Know Your Rights,’” Meyer said in a press release. “Delaware’s leaders are united against federal overreach and discrimination.”

The videos highlight key protections people have during interactions with immigration enforcement agents, including the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present and the right to refuse a search of their home unless officers present a warrant signed by a judge.

“ICE agents cannot enter or search your home or private areas of your business, unless they have either, one, a warrant signed by a judge, or two, your consent to the search,” Meyer said in the video.

One of the leaders featured in the Spanish-language video is state Rep. Josué Ortega, D-Wilmington. One of the few Latino lawmakers representing Delaware’s growing Latino community in Legislative Hall, he emphasized that residents should understand their rights if they encounter immigration authorities.

“No tienes que firmar ningún documento que no entiendas. Y si ves agentes de ICE en tu comunidad, recuerda que tienes el derecho bajo la Primera Enmienda de grabar o tomar fotografías en espacios públicos de las fuerzas del orden y de ICE, desde una distancia,” Ortega dijo en el video.

“You don’t have to sign any document you don’t understand. And if you see ICE agents in your community, remember that you have the First Amendment right to record or take photographs of law enforcement and ICE in public spaces, from a safe distance,” Ortega said in the video.

He added that Delaware leaders want immigrant families to know the state remains a place where communities can live without fear.

“Y un lugar de refugio donde las personas y las familias que desean construir una vida mejor puedan hacerlo libres de miedo y acoso. Porque somos Delaware. Somos el Primer Estado y siempre protegeremos a nuestros vecinos”, el dijo. 

“And a place of refuge where individuals and families who wish to build a better life can do so free from fear and harassment. Because we are Delaware. We are the First State, and we will always protect our neighbors,” he said.

The video also features several leaders from the federal, state and local levels, including U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings.

Resources related to the campaign are available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole on the governor’s website.