Follow up to Labor Day Rally for Collective Action

Printable signs and brochures for businesses that want ICE and other law enforcement to respect their constitutional rights

At the Roundhouse on Labor Day, hundreds of people gathered. In addition to the singing and rousing speeches from representatives from labor, civil rights, and immigrant rights groups, Indivisible Santa Fe used the occasion to organize and train rally-goers to take a concrete step to protect businesses and workers from ICE raids. We distributed hundreds of sets of materials for rally-goers to bring to area businesses, including a window sign that specifically asserts the business's rights against ICE entering the premises, or private parts of them, and an informational brochure, in English and Spanish, explaining what businesses should do if ICE shows up—including how to prepare for that eventuality.

If you were unable to get a packet at the rally or couldn't be there, you can still be part of the mass action to distribute our materials. Below are print-ready PDF files that you can have printed. Please note: the sign for businesses should be printed on cardstock or "matte cover" paper, both of which are heavier than ordinary paper. The sign needs to be durable, which is why it should be printed on heavier paper. There is also a PDF with our guidance for when you bring the sign and brochures to a business. Our materials are suitable for any business in New Mexico that wants to stand up for the Constitution, assert its rights, and protect immigrant workers, workers of color, and Spanish-speaking workers.

The sign

The informational brochures

The English-language employer brochure is available below, in color, which we recommend, and in black-and-white in case you need it. It is a two sided, tri-fold brochure. Print it as one double-sided document and then fold it accordingly.

The Spanish-language employer brochure is available below, in color, which we recommend, and in black-and-white in case you need it.

Guidance for your visit to a business

Additional information for businesses and canvassers

As this project continues we will update this section as appropriate. We are attempting to supply answers to commonly asked questions not already addressed in the business visit guidance circulated at the rally and available above.

Questions and Answers

Are houses of worship appropriate "businesses" to ask to post the sign? What about other non-profit or non-commercial businesses? What about municipal buildings and offices?

• Any organization or entity is an appropriate user of the sign, because the constitutional rights asserted apply to any organization or entity. It does not matter if the organization or entity is not-for-profit or municipal. ICE and other law enforcement may not enter areas of those businesses that are "private" for purposes of the constitutional requirements for where law enforcement needs a valid judicial warrant to enter. See the informational brochure for information about what makes premises private for these purposes.

What if a business owner asks if displaying the sign makes that business a target of ICE action?

• Trying to predict exactly what a force like ICE will or won't do is very difficult. We presume ICE wants to meet its quotas and instill fear with as little pushback or trouble as possible. This may make ICE more likely to skip businesses proactively asserting their rights.
• We are reasonably confident that anybody arrested or detained by ICE as a result of an unconstitutional search has a better chance of being released than somebody arrested or detained if ICE has acted constitutionally. Unless a business explicitly asserts the rights described in the sign, it would be difficult, indeed often impossible, to argue later that the search was unconstitutional. Without a concrete mechanism for asserting these rights, people typically always fail fail to do so in the event of a raid or sweep by law enforcement. People are too flustered, disorganized, or scared to object or articulate objections in the moment. Pointing to a sign that is already displayed is a much more reliable approach to asserting rights related to warrantless searches.

Is Indivisible Santa Fe currently encouraging or sponsoring a boycott of businesses that decline signs, brochures, or both?

• No.

Resources

Remember, ICE may only enter private areas of a business with a valid judicial warrant. Here's an example:
An administrative warrant is not acceptable. Here's an example:

Businesses canvassed so far

We are tabulating the following self-reported results in order to help canvassers avoid repeat visits to businesses (note that due to processing times there may be a delay of up to a day or so before new entries show up in this table)