Immigrants have always been at the heart of the American food system.
Photo: Eric Vitale Photography
It is estimated that immigrants comprise 22% of food service workers and 68% of crop farmworkers in the United States, making them an integral part of the independent restaurant industry and our mission of building a culture of Good Food for Good®. As such, we believe that all immigrants, no matter their documentation status, deserve to know their rights and have access to appropriate legal resources.
Immigration Support Resources
Independent Restaurant Coalition
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Know Your Rights Red Cards – Order Information and Print-Your-Own-Card Templates
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Handbook for Employers M-274 (information about the Form I-9)
ACLU
NYC Hospitality Alliance
New York Immigration Coalition
National Immigration Law Center
Preparation Checklist (listed in guide linked above)
Before an Immigration Action:
Find a qualified immigration lawyer now – before anything happens.
Make a written Response Plan. Practice your plan with your workers. Practice what to say, what to do.
Provide a Know-Your-Rights training for all your staff.
Train your staff:
Do NOT run away if ICE agents show up. Running away could give ICE a legal reason to arrest workers.
Do NOT give ICE agents permission to enter your workplace.
Do NOT answer questions or give any information.
You and your workers have the right to stay silent and to ask to talk to a lawyer.
Give your workers a list of lawyers or organizations that can provide high quality, free or low-cost immigration legal advice.
Connect with an immigration response network in your area.
During an Immigration Action:
If ICE agents enter a public area of your business, say: “I am the employer. You cannot go to other areas of the workplace without my permission.”
If ICE agents try to enter a private area, say: “This is a private area. You cannot enter without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Do you have a judicial warrant?”
Encourage your staff to video or take photos during an immigration action (if they are willing).
If the agents have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, ask for a copy and read it. Make a copy if you can.
Watch the agents carefully. Keep track of what they do. See if they are following what is written on the warrant. For example, the warrant may limit the areas the agents can search.
If ICE agents try to question you or your workers, remind your workers they have a right to stay silent and to ask for a lawyer.
When immigration agents leave, record or write down everything you saw. This will help you remember the details when you talk to a lawyer later.