Immigrant Legal Center’s Director of Legal Services, Dearra Godinez spoke with Public News Services’ Eric Galatas about the new Know Your Rights: Immigrant Protesters Guide launched alongside ILC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska and the Lincoln Commission on Human rights.

The guide focuses on protesting rights for people who are immigrants and is based on a similar document that the ACLU of Nebraska shared at some of the state’s largest racial justice demonstrations in 2020.

Godinez said immigrants face unique legal risks and that the guide provides tips for individuals before attending a protest, such as making a safety plan.

According to Dearra, this includes “having contact information for an immigration attorney readily available, making sure there are plans in place to meet child care or other needs, and knowing and using their rights that are spelled out in this guide, including one’s right to remain silent and right to an attorney.”

Before a protest, it is critically important to talk to your immigration attorney.  If you do not have one, for a screening and possible referral for an immigration legal consult, please contact the Nebraska Immigration Legal Assistance Hotline (NILAH) at (855) 307-6730.

The guide is available online in English and Spanish here, and print editions can be picked up at ILC’s offices in Omaha and the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights office in Lincoln’s City and County Building.

To read and listen to the full story, click here.