Know your rights when questioned by police, FBI, custom agents or immigration officers.

[Hannah Bell]

Below is the text of a National Lawyers Guild (NLG) pamphlet on your rights if you are questioned by police, FBI, custom agents or immigration officers. The pamphlet is available in pdf form on the NLG Web site.

WHAT RIGHTS DO I HAVE?

Whether or not you're a citizen, you have rights under the United States Constitution. The Fifth Amendment gives every person the right to remain silent: not to answer questions asked by a police officer or government agent. The Fourth Amendment restricts the government's power to enter and search your home or workplace, although there are many exceptions and new laws have expanded the government's power to conduct surveillance. The First Amendment protects your right to speak freely and to advocate for social change. However, if you are a non-citizen and are deportable, DHS* can target you based on your political activities.

Constitutional rights cannot be suspended--even during wartime.

*The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is now part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has been renamed and reorganized into: 1. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS); 2. The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and 3. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). All three bureaus will be referred to as "DHS" for the purposes of this pamphlet.

WHAT IF POLICE, FBI, OR IMMIGRATION AGENTS CONTACT ME?

Q: Do I have to answer questions?

A: You have the constitutional right to remain silent. It is not a crime to refuse to answer questions. It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer before agreeing to answer questions. You do not have to talk to anyone, even if you have been arrested or are in jail. Only a judge can order you to answer questions. There is only one exception: in some states outside of California, it can be a crime to refuse to give your name if you have been detained. You do not have to show ID or give any other information such as your address or immigration status...

http://socialistworker.org/2010/10/08/know-your-rights

[Tunkamerica]

1. Always good to know.

Didn't realize a house guest could give consent to a search.

[jotsy]

2. .

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9284925>

It's the very bottom I wanted you to see, Miss Hannah.

This is information that should be made available to as many as possible as a counter measure to an unchecked and systemically abusive chain of authoritative entities.

Rec'd and will likely be back in the a.m. should it need a kick.

Thanks for posting.

on edit, I rec'd and it remained at a goose egg, hence the enigmatic opening.

[Hannah Bell]

3. the very bottom? i'm not clear on which part.

[jotsy]

4. Check your pm.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. This is a big +10000

My grandson is a cop and we have had this conversation more than once. He stops people regularly in the course of his job. Most of them roll over and relinquish their rights because they don't know them! He described a bust to me recently where he asked someone if he could search them. The first thing out of my mouth was "I do not consent!" He said "That's because you are smart and know your rights. Most people don't."

Please! Know your rights and exercise them! Also, Get a lawyer before you talk to authorities. You can't believe how stupid they can make you look in a transcription when you are just engaging in normal conversation! Meanwhile, every word they utter is scripted.

[pinboy3niner]

6. Guidelines issued also by the ACLU...

With the passage of the Arizona anti-immigrant law (SB 1070) this year, the ACLU feared profiling would occur even in advance of the law's effective date. Before the July Fourth holiday, the ACLU issued a travel warning for visitors to the state and distributed (and made available online for download) an Arizana 'Bust Card' with guidance on legal rights.

The Bust Card can be printed and folded to wallet size:

ACLU 'Bust Card' for Arizona
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE STOPPED BY
POLICE, IMMIGRATION AGENTS OR THE FBI:
http://www.azcentral.com/ic/pdf/0630ACLU-bust-card.pdf

K&R

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. K&R

[blindpig]

8. Tape this sucker to the refrigerator door. n/t