Know Your Rights Information
and
Immigration Legal Services in Montgomery County, MD and Vicinity

Montgomery County's Immigrant Resources

• * New * Montgomery County Immigrant Rights and Resources Handout  (English) (Spanish/Español ) (Chinese) (additional languages coming soon) By the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center. (7/11/2019)
• * UPDATED * Immigration FAQs- In order for immigrant communities to be prepared in any emergency situations that may arise, we have updated our Immigration FAQs to include Know Your Rights resources, information on how to prepare for possible ICE raids, where to get legal help, and more.  (English) (Spanish/Español: coming soon)  (3/5/2020)
• * Updated * Montgomery County Immigration Legal Service Providers List : Chart containing information on Montgomery County Immigration Legal Service Providers. (7/10/2019)
• Emergency Family File (English) (Spanish/Español). A useful tool to keep track of your family's important information so you can be prepared for any emergency.  By Montgomery County Health and Human Services.

Know Your Rights Information

ICE Emergency Hotlines:

• Click here for a  flyer (English) (Spanish/Español) containing all local Emergency Hotlines.
• If you know someone in ICE detention who needs information or assistance, call the  CAIR Coalition at:   202-331-3329.  See  flyer (English) (Spanish/Español) for more information  . 
• If you are a victim of an immigration raid or know of a raid in the area, call CASA de Maryland's ICE Emergency 24/7 hotline at:  240-650-1012 or 1-866-678-2272.
• In case of an ICE raid or emergency, or if you want a trained group of volunteers to go with you to an ICE check-in or immigration court, call Sanctuary DMV's ICE Emergency Hotline at:   202-335-1183.  See flyer (in English and Spanish/Español) for more information.

• Call  United We Dream's national hotline at:   1-844-363-1423 to report ICE activity.

Know Your Rights Resources:

• *New* Montgomery County Immigrant Rights and Resources Handout  (English) (Spanish/Español) (additional languages coming soon). By the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center. (7/11/2019)

• Resources to Prepare for Immigration Raids, a comprehensive compilation of resources by local organizations. 
• Know Your Rights Guides (in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish/Español, and Vietnamese). By the Catholic Legal Immigration Nework (CLINIC).
• Know Your Rights Booklet ( English) ( Spanish/Español). By CASA (updated 3/2017).
• Know Your Rights video (English), (  Spanish/Español). By CAIR Coalition (1/2017).
• ACLU-MD's  What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police (English). ( Spanish/Español)
• ACLU-MD's  Additional Information for Non-Citizens (English). ( Spanish/Español)
• ACLU-MD's  ICE Home Raids (English). ( Spanish/Español)
• Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer or a Public Space, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), in English, Spanish/Español, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi. (11/30/2017)
• Know Your Rights Information and Flyers by United We Dream. Available in English, Spanish/Español, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Farsi, Marathi, Tagalog, and Haitian-Creole. 
• InformedImmigrant.com has a wealth of up-to-date resources, in English and Spanish/Español, including FAQ's on recent Executive Orders, the status of DACA and more.  
• Immi helps immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options, provides an online screening tool, legal information and referrals to nonprofit legal services organizations

Know Your Rights Cards (can be printed, cut out, and carried with you):

• Know Your Rights Cards in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hmong, Korean, Spanish/Español and Vietnamese.  By the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).
• Know Your Rights Cards (in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish/Español, and Vietnamese). By the Catholic Legal Immigration Nework (CLINIC).
• Know Your Rights Postcards in multiple languages (including Arabic, Spanish/Español, Farsi, and Somali). Print and carry with you. By  National Immigration Law Center. (11/10/2016)

Family Preparedness

• Immigrant Legal Resource Center's  Family Preparedness Plan (English) ( Spanish/Español ) (Chinese) (updated 6/2018)
• What If I'm Picked Up By ICE? Preparing for the Possibility of Being Detained, Deported, and Separated From Your Children (English), ( Spanish/Español) ( French), created by Steptoe & Johnson (2017)
• Emergency Family File (English) (Spanish/Español). A useful tool to keep track of your family's important information so you can be prepared for any emergency.  By Montgomery County Health and Human Services.
• Montgomery County Public School's Immigration Information
• Help for Immigrant Families: Guidance for Schools. By ILRC. (3/2017)

Information on Standby Guardianship:

• Brochure on Standby Guardianship (English) (Spanish/Español) (7/2019)
  • Learn how to designate a standby guardian, and help prevent your child from entering the foster care system if you are unable to care for them if you are picked up by ICE.
• The Standby Guardianship Project:  Provides free family safety planning assistance for parents in danger of being detained, deported, or who have serious health issues
  • Standby Guardianship Project / TESS Center brochure (in English, Spanish, and Amharic) (2/2020)
• Maryland Court Form for designating a standby guardian: Scroll to the bottom of the Guardianship Forms section to find the Parental Designation and Consent Form for Standby Guardianship in English, Spanish/Español, French, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Amharic, and Portuguese.   
• Information from the Standby Guardianship Project regarding Maryland's new Standby Guardianship law. (English) (Spanish/Español) (6/9/2019)
• Baltimore Sun article on Maryland's new Standby Guardianship Law. (12/31/2018)

Update: Frequently Asked Questions

(as of 7/11/2019)-  UPDATES PENDING

In order for immigrant communities to be prepared in any emergency situations that may arise, we have updated our Immigration FAQs to include Know Your Rights resources, information on how to prepare for possible ICE raids, where to get legal help, and more.  (English) (Español) 

Find reputable legal providers

• * Updated * Montgomery County Immigration Legal Service Providers List : At-a-glance chart containing information on Montgomery County's nonprofit immigration legal service providers. (7/10/2019)
• Montgomery County Immigration Legal Service Providers Directory.  Booklet containing information on Montgomery County's nonprofit immigration legal service providers.  (April 2017)
• DC Area Immigration Service Providers Directory.  By CAIR Coalition.
• Map of Service Providers: Search the interactive map for Legal Immigration Service Providers in your area.
• National Immigration Legal Services Directory. You can search by zip code or detention facility. By Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net. 
• Department of Justice, Executive Office of Immigration Review’s  Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives.
• American Immigration Lawyers Association’s  Immigration Lawyer Search.  For assistance in locating a private immigration attorney.

Upcoming Immigration-related Workshops and Clinics

• Ongoing:  Free Legal Advice Clinics (including immigration and other legal issues). By Montgomery County County Bar Foundation Pro Bono Program.
  • Must be Montgomery County resident and meet certain income guidelines.  
  • Various dates/locations throughout County. Click here for more info.
• Ongoing:  Free Immigration Consultations at Gaithersburg Library.  Hosted by APALRC.
  • 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, from 6pm to 8:30pm
  • Location: Gaithersburg Library- 18330 Montgomery Village Ave.,1st Floor, Gaithersburg, MD 20879
• Ongoing: Free Legal Clinic (including immigration and other legal issues). Hosted by APALRC.
  • 3rd Wednesday of each month, from 2:30 - 4:30pm
  • Location: Gilchrist Immigration Resource Center- 11002 Veirs Mill Rd, 5th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902
• Please see  Montgomery County's Immigration Legal Service Providers List  for information on providers that offer regular legal consultations for free or low-cost.

Legal Resources

This information is posted for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

• InformedImmigrant.com has a wealth of up-to-date resources, in English and Spanish, including FAQ's on recent Executive Orders, the status of DACA, TPS,  and more.  
• Immi helps immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options, provides an online screening tool, legal information and referrals to nonprofit legal services organizations.
• For educational materials on the new "Public Charge Rule," visit the Protecting Immigrant Families website.
• Top 5 Things You Need to Know About DACA Right Now (English).  In Spanish/Español.  By United We Dream. (1/22/19) 
• Preparing for the Future: Understanding the Rights and Options of DACA Recipients. By the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). (2/7/2019)
• Annotated DACA Packet. By the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). (March 2019)