President Trump is leveraging the full power of the federal government to implement a massive deportation program. This dragnet is eroding due process, expanding surveillance of communities, threatening political speech, and is being used as a false justification to deploy military assets into American cities over the objections of local governments. It is sweeping up families, including U.S. citizens, based on their race or appearance, despite official claims that immigration enforcement actions are targeting individuals with criminal histories. This has created significant fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities.
These actions have renewed fears over potential immigration enforcement actions during disasters. In February, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded its sensitive locations policy, which had discouraged immigration enforcement actions at houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and other settings deemed generally off-limits for immigration enforcement, including emergency shelters during natural disasters. Decisions to conduct enforcement actions in such locations are now at the discretion of local Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership, with some exceptions due to standing court orders. Community members are wondering whether pursuing emergency assistance during and following disasters might put themselves or their family members at risk of immigration consequences.
Just Solutions is partnering with multiple national and local organizations to develop and update guidance for immigrant communities and immigrant-serving organizations on how to navigate emergency relief services during natural disasters.
This document, in a simple Q&A format, summarizes what we currently know and what we don’t know about immigrant eligibility for emergency services.
As of the publication of this article, since January 2025 there are no new policies adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) establishing restrictions on emergency non-cash or cash assistance. We are concerned, however, that there may be changes on the horizon or new ways in which recent executive actions may be applied to emergency assistance. If and when we see any of these things happen, we will update this guidance.
We also need your help. If local organizations or community members observe practices that may inform our understanding of immigration enforcement during disaster response situations, please contact us at disaster-response-information@justsolutionscollective.org.
You can use these templates to add your group’s logo to the Partner Organizations page, so that you can share this with your local community:
We also recommend the following resources:
Immigrants should carry this Know Your Rights card from National Immigration Law Center (NILC):
This one-page flier by the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition and Protecting Immigrant Families for immigrant families navigating access to disaster recovery programs, addressing specific concerns about eligibility, immigration status, and mixed-status families.
This comprehensive guide by the National Homelessness Legal Center provides advice for homeless and other public service providers for rapid response during ICE raids. The guide covers what providers can do from a practical level to best protect clients and staff before, during, and after a raid.
This is a one-stop-shop webpage by NILC that summarizes immigrant eligibility and in-depth information for different disaster recovery programs.
Additional “Know Your Rights” resources are available on the following websites:
National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/resources/
American Civil LIberties Union (ACLU): https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights
Immigrant Legal Resource Center: https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas
United We Dream: https://unitedwedream.org/resources/know-your-rights/
Informed Immigrant: https://www.informedimmigrant.com/resources/