Services to Immigrants

Recently, a question came across my inbox through a professional listserv from a library thousands of miles away:  

Subject: ICE at library events

Body:

My library system offers several programs for the Latine community, including our Hispanic Heritage Festival, which brings in hundreds of people.  

Recently, I have had staff express concern about the possibility of authorities coming to the festival or other programming and trying to perform a raid or ask people for their papers. 

I wanted to know if others were thinking/planning for this possibility. 

Less than a week later, I received a question via email from a library in our state about immigrant rights, noting an increase of anxiety and fear among both community members and library staff. A week after that, I received another email from a different library asking if other libraries have reached out about potential immigration enforcement situations at libraries. Then a week later… You get the idea.  

Not a week has gone by since that initial email reached my inbox that I haven’t encountered a question about a library and library staff members’ roles concerning immigration enforcement, immigrant rights, potential profiling of some library visitors, and similar topics. Just looking at some of the Demographics & Population Research tools on the Colorado State Library page will give you some idea why: Our communities are the exact communities that have a reason to be concerned.  

In 2020, American Libraries Magazine published “Know Your Rights—and Theirs: How Libraries Prepare for Possible ICE Activity.” In the years since, demographics changes—in part driven by new community residents with varying residency and citizenship statuses, political polarization, and changing legislation have increased the urgency for answers and resources.  

As with other sensitive issues that arise in library work while in the service of community members or in the daily operations of information/ resource stewardship, librarians and staff are sometimes approached with questions we’re uncertain about answering and faced with unanticipated situations for which we feel underprepared—if prepared at all.  

Where we are empowered is to be agents of information sharing and community connection on immigration topics as with all other topics. In this post, we share some ready resources for Colorado-based assistance, urgent response information including state-based hotlines, guidance for policies, and learning materials/ training opportunities for library workplaces.  

A note on what is shared below: This is not an exhaustive list. You will find resources on your own based on your community’s location and needs.

Immigrant Rights and Legal Assistance

Know Your Rights (KYR) information and educational programs are key resources to which libraries can provide access.  

The most comprehensive and relevant information for Colorado libraries is the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s (CIRC) resources which include a toolkit of Know Your Rights materials including Family Preparedness Packets and one-pagers in various languages that can be printed and distributed at the library.  (Note: As of February 2025, CIRC is hosting once a month KYR webinars and they will be sharing those schedules and links via email to all subscribers. Consider subscribing to CIRC newsletters for info on those and other learning opportunities.) 

Other materials, not specific to Colorado include: 

• “Know Your Rights Under the US Constitution—No Matter Who is President” (PDF) from National Immigration Law Center was last updated in April 2024 and can be printed out or shared online 

• The Know Your Rights page from United We Dream is a toolkit-of-sorts with bullet points of your rights as well as images and graphics that can be used in a social media campaign or otherwise shared digitally 

• AFL-CIO provides a Know Your Rights (PDF) infographic in English and Spanish including a card that can be handed to an officer to assert an individual’s constitutional right to remain silent 

• Family Protection Plans:

  • JAMLAC Family Protection Plan – English

  • JAMLAC Family Protection Plan – Spanish 

• Immigrant Resources 2025 from Colorado Center of Law and Policy

Legal advice is not something libraries provide; however, libraries provide crucial access to community organizations and networks for legal assistance, sometimes even providing space for pro bono legal clinics and neutral meeting spaces for meditations.  

A ready list of contacts for seekers of legal support in Colorado include: 

• Colorado Bar Association’s Licensed Lawyer Finder 

• Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives Roster by State and City (PDF) of organizations accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to represent immigrants before the DHS and the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) (Scroll to p. 37 for the Colorado offices)

• Self-Help Resources from Colorado Judicial Branch (“Family Cases” and “Housing Cases” may be applicable to some immigrants seeking assistance)

 Hotlines & Urgent Response Resources

• Colorado Rapid Response Network (CRRN) statewide hotline: 1-844-864-8341

  • CRRN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CORapidResponseNetwork

• Figuring out if you have a removal order:

  • EOIR’s case status where people could put in an A number to find out: https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/en/

• Expedited removal expansion 

  • NILC factsheet: Know Your Rights: Expedited Removal Expansion 

• Local consulate emergency numbers for citizens of:

  • El Salvador – 720-980-3659

  • Guatemala – 303-503-6863

  • Mexico – national hotline based in AZ, 520-623-7874 (24hrs)

Policy Guidance  

Guidance (including sample policies) is provided on the Public Library Leadership section of the Colorado State Library website for Colorado public libraries. Generally, consultants from the Office of Library Development can assist by providing training and resources related to law, policy, and practice.  

American Library Association provides guidance on responding to law enforcement requests and includes a section on “Libraries and Immigration Enforcement” that refers to federal law.  

Additionally, guidance has been published by the California Attorney General; and while it includes guidance based on federal law, it is centered on the needs and experiences of California: “Promoting Safe and Secure Libraries for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s Public Libraries in Responding to Immigration Issues” (PDF, California Attorney General, December 2024) 

It is important to note that while neither Colorado Library Law nor Colorado Public Library Standards explicitly refers to residency, immigration, naturalization, citizenship, etc. status, libraries must operate with full compliance of relevant federal, state, and local laws. Review of resulting documents from a search of Colorado Revised Statutes is recommended.  

Training for Library Staff 

California’s Attorney General writes in their “Promoting Safe and Secure Libraries for All” guidance document: 

Public libraries should establish and administer training programs regarding immigration issues for all library personnel, including volunteers and security guards employed by the library. This training should include information on responding to a request from an officer enforcing immigration law for physical access to nonpublic areas of the library or library records (California Attorney General, 2024, p. 12). 

Training for library staff may include basic information related to immigrant rights, state and local agencies relevant to New Americans, legal assistance networks, and other community resources.  

Colorado libraries, including Arapahoe Library District, have invited Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition to provide public and staff training or education. Find your regional organizer or call them at their hotline to get connected.  

Additionally, learning about how other libraries have provided support to immigrants and responded to situations related to enforcement is recommended. Probably the best resource for librarians and staff is REFORMA.  

REFORMA is the national professional association of librarians and staff who support Spanish-speaking and Latine communities. Membership provides access to news and events relevant to the service of immigrants and refugees at libraries.  

There is also some training for immigrant serving nonprofit organizations that may be of interest to and relevant for libraries:

• How local communities can plan and respond to an immigration raid in their community Lessons from East Tennessee – Immigration Raid on Workplaces – 108 pages – appendixes start on page 29

*** 

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of work to be done and it is hard to find what’s available without already being entrenched in it and entrenchment is a place of urgency, fear, and confusion. Being prepared ahead of time and being engaged in networks where information and support flow organically is key to being responsive in thoughtful, empathetic, and impactful ways.  

The resources in this post are just the start of a lifetime of conversation and work to ensure that our communities are cared for in the best way that libraries can: with information, resources, and community connections.  

Latest update 02/24/2025 - This post will be continually updated as legal and legislative changes occur, as well as when relevant support and response resources are shared with the state library. For questions or to share resources, please contact this post's author, Cristy Moran, at librariancristy@gmail.com