photo credit: Stephanie Manieri
The cards are meant to be carried at all times in case of ICE encounters.

As U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement - known as ICE - becomes more present in communities throughout the nation, a local grassroots organization has been working hard to teach people their rights in the event of an encounter here in Sonoma County.

Picture this, you just got to work, or maybe to the school down the street to pick up your kids. An unmarked car arrives, and an armed officer gets out and tells you you’re under arrest. Would you know your rights? Would you know who to call?

For most of us the answer is probably no.

Santa Rosa-based social justice group the North Bay Organizing Project is trying to change that answer to 'yes'. Their tool of choice: color-coded red and yellow cards.

“We hand them out to folks in the community, one, to educate them on their rights, and two, to also let them know that we're here and we're we're able to help if they see ICE or if they're at their door,” said Stephanie Manieri.

Manieri is a volunteer with the North Bay Rapid Response Network, a 24-hour volunteer-run hotline housed within the North Bay Organizing Project. The Rapid Response Network monitors ICE activity in Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties.

Manieri says the two cards work in tandem.

“On one side of the yellow card, it has the North Bay Rapid Response lines phone number, and it lets people know that if they see ICE in the community, to call this line...And then on the other side of the yellow card, there's like a quick guide on what to do if ice is at your door,” Manieri said. 

She says the red card “has, on one side the English translation for your rights if you are face to face with ICE or they're at your door. And then on the other side, it has the same language, but in Spanish.”

Manieri is part of a network of regular citizens who field calls, act as legal observers and pass out cards at churches, libraries, health centers and other community hubs.

She said while there’s been a strong effort to disseminate the cards in person, printable versions can be found on the North Bay Organizing Project’s website in multiple languages.