How to Respond to Immigration Enforcement on Campus

If Gavilan College becomes aware of ICE or another federal agency on campus for an immigration raid, Security will be notified and Gavilan College will be made aware using the emergency notification system via text message. In the Text message you receive, there will be information on resources and frequently asked questions, as well as ohter resources. In the mergency text sent to you, there will also be a link for you to download our Gavilan College Safety App called "Gavilan SAFE".

Refer to the following processes to review Gavilan College's "ICE" Protocol and read through our FAQ's section below.

Protecting Our Campus: ICE Response Toolkit

Immigration Officials or Law Enforcement on Campus

All Gavilan College employees must adhere to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA protects the privacy of student educational records and all personally identifiable information contained in those records. The college and its employees cannot disclose information about students without the student’s written consent, even to federal authorities.

Gavilan College will comply with the California Values Act (SB 54) and will not expend any Gavilan law enforcement resources on immigration enforcement or immigration information-gathering activities.

In the unlikely event that U.S. Border Control, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or any other federal law enforcement agency comes to any Gavilan College campus or facility, please contact Campus Security immediately at (408) 710-7490.

FAQ for Faculty and Staff

In the unlikely event that U.S. Border Control, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or any other federal law enforcement agency comes to any Gavilan College's work area (office, classroom, etc.), please follow these steps:

1. Please contact Campus Security immediately at (408) 710-7490.

Refer the agents to Gavilan College Campus Security immediately at (408) 710-7490 (or extension 7490 from a campus phone) to report the situation and request guidance.

Best Practices for Keeping Our College Community Safe

Inform students of their rights.
If you can safely communicate with a student, let them know they have the right to remain silent and to request legal representation. They are not required to disclose their immigration status without legal counsel present.
Remind individuals in your workplace of their rights.
Students, faculty, and staff have the right to remain silent and are not required to disclose immigration status. Do not instruct or order anyone to remain silent — simply remind them of their rights.
Conduct yourself professionally.
Remain calm and respectful when interacting with immigration or law enforcement officials. Avoid casual conversation and do not provide any information about students or employees without direction from Campus Security or the Office of the President.
Do not resist if ICE agents force entry.
You may state, “I do not consent to your entry,” but do not physically resist.
(Source: ACLU Northern California — “Know Your Rights if ICE Confronts You”)
Do not sign any documents.
Wait for legal guidance before signing or acknowledging any paperwork presented by immigration or law enforcement officers.

Warrants

If ICE or non-Campus Security law enforcement presents a warrant:

Ask for identification and to see the warrant.
Record the officer or agent’s name, contact information, and badge number.
Ensure the warrant lists the correct address for your workplace.
Review the warrant to see what areas and items they are authorized to search. They are not authorized to search areas or inspect items not listed in the warrant.
Call Campus Security immediately. Inform them of the situation and request assistance.
You may remind individuals in your classroom or workplace that they have the right to remain silent. Do not direct or order them to remain silent.
Campus Security may review the warrant and determine next steps. If all information is accurate and it has been signed by a judge, law enforcement may be legally permitted to enter.
Document everything the officers do and the areas they inspect.

In the unlikely event that ICE or non-Gavilan College Police Department (GCPD) law enforcement approaches you on campus, it’s important to know your rights and how to respond.

Know Your Rights

You have the right to remain silent. You can say:
- "I reserve the right to remain silent based on my 5th Amendment rights under the US Constitution."
- "I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign any documents."
Do not disclose your immigration status without legal counsel present.
Do not sign any documents.
Do not resist physically. If ICE agents force their way in, state: "I do not consent to your entry," but do not obstruct them.
Conduct yourself professionally. Stay calm, and do not run, argue, or provide false information.
Use a Red Card to assert your rights. See ILRC red cards and CHIRLA red cards.

If You See ICE on Campus

In a classroom or center: Refer the officer to the instructor or office staff present.
Anywhere on campus: Contact Gavilan College Police Department (GCPD) immediately at (408) 848-4762 or use the campus safety resources for guidance.

Know Your Rights: “Red Cards”

These “Red Cards” inform individuals of their constitutional rights when interacting with immigration enforcement officers. The cards provide clear instructions on how to assert the right to remain silent, refuse searches without a warrant, and request legal representation. They are designed to help reduce fear, ensure due process, and empower individuals to respond appropriately in high-pressure situations.

Red Cards are available in English, Spanish/English, Hmong/English, Ukrainian/English, Russian/English, Tagalog/English, and Farsi/English, with Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin versions coming soon.

Faculty and staff at Gavilan College may request Red Cards by emailing immigration@gavilan.edu or contacting the Office of Student Services for assistance.

Gavilan College Update on Support for Our Undocumented Community

Resources

Family preparedness plan – Every family should have one in place. Review this family preparedness guide from the Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC).
Videos and tutorials:
- August 2025 Flex Workshop – Informed and Empowered: Protecting Our Students and Communities Together (Video Recording) (Note: you must be a Los Rios employee logged in through Okta to view this video.)
  - Informed and Empowered: Protecting Our Students and Communities Together (Presentation)
  - CHIRLA: Student Legal Services Overview (Presentation)
- We Have Rights: If ICE Arrests Us (ACLU)
- Know Your Rights Resources (CHIRLA)
- Multilingual Know Your Rights Tutorials
Other legal and local resources are available to you.

By staying informed and prepared, you can help protect yourself and others in your community.

Legal Consultations

The UFW Foundation, in collaboration with Gavilan College, offers free virtual and in-person immigration consultations to Gavilan College students, Faculty, and Professional Staff. UFW Foundation immigration services include:

Immigration Relief Screenings
DACA Renewals
Advance Parole
Naturalization/Citizenship
Adjustment of Status
Family-Based Immigration
Know Your Rights

Our college offers both in-person and virtual consultations. To make an appointment with the UFW Foundation, visit Find Your Ally.

*You are NOT required to state the nature of your case/question to a staff member to make an appointment with a legal representative.

Note: If you schedule an appointment with the UFW Foundation, please be aware that you mught get contacted if your appointment changes (e.g., from in-person to virtual or nay changes).

If you need urgent assistance and no appointments are available, please reach out to your college’s Dream Resource Liaison for further support.

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Amnesty International
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office – Resources for Undocumented Students
California Immigrant Policy Center – Call (916) 448-6762 or email info@caimmigrant.org.
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Council on American Islamic Council Relations
International Rescue Committee Sacramento – Call (916) 482-0120 or email northerncalifornia@rescue.org.
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Immigrants Rising
Jewish Community Relations Council
Immigration Advocates Network
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
My Undocumented Life
National Immigration Law Center – Call (213) 639-3900 or email reply@nilc.org.
United We Dream

FAQ

Public vs. Private Spaces

It is a public space, open to anyone in our community. Each campus has specific, unique spaces that may be interpreted as public or private. In general, any space where students or the public have unfettered access is considered public. The definition of "private space" is open to legal interpretation. We will do everything in our power to protect the privacy of classrooms and other private spaces; however, we cannot guarantee that law enforcement agencies share that same interpretation.

Posting signage may help clarify the difference between public and private space; however, we should be clear that signage is unlikely to prevent federal law enforcement from entering if that's their interest. The definition of "private space" is open to legal interpretation. We will do everything in our power to protect the privacy of classrooms and other private spaces; however, we cannot guarantee that law enforcement agencies share that same interpretation.

Yes, nothing prevents you from locking your classroom if it is something that you normally do. Faculty may choose to consider putting their classroom locked door policy in their class syllabus, establishing it as a common practice not necessarily related to immigration enforcement. Even if classroom doors are locked, law enforcement can still enter with a valid judicial warrant.

Immigration Enforcement Authority Interactions

Respond with the following: "I am not authorized or trained to respond to your request (demand). Please wait while I call the GCPD (or my supervisor) for assistance. They are better prepared to assist you with your investigation."

We do not expect every Gavilan College employee to be able to recognize or validate a judicial warrant. Any employee presented with a document that is suggested to be a warrant should contact the Gavilan College Police Department (GCPD) immediately and let GCPD assess the document’s validity.

The employee can provide federal authorities with a copy of the “White Card” containing Gavilan College immigration enforcement procedures (if you need copies of these, contact the Undocumented Student Center or campus administration).

Gavilan College does not advise any employee to obstruct access to law enforcement officials. If federal law enforcement will not wait for GCPD to arrive, we do not recommend impeding their access.

Yes. There are no statutes that prevent you from videoing your interaction with immigration enforcement authorities, so long as the recording does not impede the movement or interfere with the actions of the immigration officers.

Contact Gavilan College Police Department (GCPD) at (408) 848-4762. Allow them to authenticate the warrant.

Staff should contact Gavilan College Police Department (GCPD) at (408) 848-4762 and inform the federal agent to wait in the public area while GCPD arrives. Staff should not provide voluntary consent to the agent to enter non-public areas and should avoid answering any questions to protect the FERPA rights of students and staff.

Employee Protections

If you acted within the scope of your employment and followed the "Law enforcement Pocket Cards" instructions, Gavilan College will support you.

Based on the specific circumstances and consistent with Gavilan College collective bargaining agreements, Gavilan College will work with the employee and labor union (if the employee is represented) to maintain the employee’s job status—including employment and any potential disciplinary action—to the fullest extent possible while the employee is detained.

If a student or staff member is detained, please be prepared to provide Gavilan College Security Office and college officials with the name and, if possible, Gavilan ID (WID) of any individual(s) detained.

Staff should always contact Gavilan College Security Office first so they can contact the President's Office and have them review the federal order before detention. If an individual is detained, Gavilan College Security Office along with the Offie of the president will collect information regarding the federal agent, the federal order, the individual detained, the reason for detention, and any other relevant details.

Legal Risks

Actions such as physically blocking doors, locking doors only when immigration enforcement authorities attempt to enter, or pushing an immigration enforcement agent. These may be considered an obstruction. Always call LRPD and follow the ICE information card. Never physically touch an immigration enforcement authority agent, as penalties are severe.

This is strongly discouraged. Such actions may be interpreted as aiding and abetting or harboring a fugitive, which carry serious legal consequences.

Staff should be aware that anyone who knowingly assists an individual in evading federal immigration authorities can be charged with a felony under federal law (8 USC § 1324) which prohibits "concealing or harboring" an individual who is in the United States illegally.

It is a felony to obstruct or intentionally interfere with a federal law enforcement agent. Please inform the federal agent that you do not consent to the agent's demand, but do not attempt to physically stop the agent. A physical altercation with a federal agent may result in arrest or physical injury.

You may be charged with 8 USC 1324, which is a federal offense. Staff should be aware that anyone who knowingly assists an individual in evading federal immigration authorities can be charged with a felony under federal law (8 USC § 1324) which prohibits "concealing or harboring" an individual who is in the United States illegally.

Under the Constitution, every individual has the right to remain silent without repercussions. Immigration enforcement authorities may still exercise their enforcement objectives if they have a judicial warrant, however that does not limit your right under the 5th Amendment to remain silent or ask for an attorney.

Yes, trusted community resources can be shared; that is not a violation of the law.