If an immigration service officer comes to your home, you are protected by the U.S. Constitution. The key is knowing which actions are lawful and which are dangerous. Following five basic rules can save you from deportation.

Rule One: Don’t Open the Door Without a Judge’s Warrant

A closed door is your legal protection. You are not obligated to open it to an immigration officer if he simply wants to talk.

You need to open the door only if the officer presents a warrant signed by an immigration judge. This is a critical distinction. Don’t confuse a warrant with forms I-200 and I-205—they are signed by the immigration officer himself and lack the legal force needed to compel you to open the door.

Warn everyone living at home. Any adult family member can open the door to a stranger if they don’t know this rule. Officers can enter a home without announcement through the entryway, so everyone must understand: if a stranger knocks—don’t open.

Rule Two: Stay Silent and Demand a Lawyer

Exercise your right to remain silent. You are not obligated to answer any questions—except to provide your name, current address, and legal documents.

Any other response can harm you. Even seemingly harmless words can be used against you at a hearing. The officer didn’t come for nothing, and your answers may worsen the situation.

Demand your lawyer and invoke the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In English, this is phrased as “I plead the fifth”—meaning you are exercising your right to remain silent. Repeat this phrase if you are pressured.

Rule Three: Don’t Sign Anything

This rule is critical and applies everywhere—at home, in your car, at the airport. Don’t sign anything whatsoever.

Be especially careful with Form I-210 (voluntary deportation) and Form I-407 (abandonment of permanent resident status). You may also be presented with papers about deportation without court proceedings. Even if the officer assures you it’s standard procedure, don’t sign.

Rule Four: Memorize Phone Numbers

Know at least two phone numbers by heart: a lawyer or specialist who can help you, and someone close to you—a spouse, child, relative, or trusted friend.

Timing is everything in such situations. If you don’t act quickly and have no ready solution, you can be deported, transferred to another state, or lose the opportunity to have a hearing that could quickly release you from detention. When you are given the right to make a phone call, you must immediately communicate the necessary information.

Фасад здания федерального суда или государственного учреждения с колоннами

Rule Five: Don’t Resist

Even if you see violations of law and infringement of your rights, never use physical force or resist arrest.

Do everything the officers tell you: stand where instructed, sit down, don’t move. Don’t resist handcuffing. Physical resistance is futile and may seriously harm you later at hearings when the circumstances of your detention are discussed.