Know Your Rights Resources

The Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) Know Your Rights Resource Hub is an access center for immigrant communities and providers to understand their rights and identify important local resources.

Please note: While OIA strives to include links to quality external websites, we are not responsible for the content or accuracy of information on these sites. The links are provided for informational purposes only and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by OIA. Users should exercise their own discretion when visiting external links.

Workshops and Events

Visit the OIA calendar for free virtual, in-person, and hybrid Know Your Rights workshops, resource fairs, and community events for immigrant communities and the organizations near you. To schedule or request more information for your community contact OIA at:  Immigrants@dcba.lacounty.gov and include in the subject line “Workshops and Events”.

ILRC Red Cards/Tarjetas Rojas help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home.

Register for the next workshop near you: oia.lacounty.gov/calendar

Available workshop topics include:

  • Know Your Rights Legal clinics
  • Public charge and Access to Services
  • STOP Notario Fraud

Prerecorded Know your Rights & Public Benefits Webinars:

Disclaimer notice: The content in these recordings and slide decks were accurate as of the date of the presentation. 

Family Preparedness Planning

LAUSD Unified Parent and Family Academy Webinar Recording:

Know Your Rights essential updates, real-life vignettes, and a family properness plan

 

Immigrant Legal Resource Center Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan:

  • English | Español – This form can be filled out online, downloaded, and printed.

 

Bet Tzedek Family Preparedness Toolkit  – provides information on arranging care for your children if a parent is detained by immigration authorities.

 

Financial Handbook for Families Facing Detention & Deportation

  • How to manage your bank account, create a Power of Attorney, maintain and protect your credit, and more.

Detention Support/Response Networks

Know Your Rights: What to do if You Are Arrested or Detained by Immigration

Please note: Online Detainee Locator System cannot search for records of persons under the age of 18

 

  • Immigrant Defenders Law Center: Call (213) 833-8283 to assist a relative or community member who has been detained by Immigration Enforcement. Calls will be responded to Monday-Friday from 9am to 4pm.

 

Report Immigration Enforcement (Response Networks)

  • Los Angeles: Call 888-624-4752
  • Boyle Heights (L.A.) 323-805-1049
  • Orange County 714-881-1558
  • San Bernardino/Riverside 909-361-4588

 

Information For Families of Individuals in Immigration Detention

 

National Immigration Law Center:

 

National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) English Handouts

Know Your Rights: In the Workplace

National Day Labor Organizing Network information for immigrant workers:

 

State of California Department of Industrial Relations – Offers support to all workers in multiple languages. The team does not ask about or track immigration status.:

  • Know Your Rights
    • Workplace safety & health
    • Know your labor rights
    • Worker protections: Wildfire smoke, cleanup and rebuilding
    • What workers should do if they are injured or become ill at work

 

LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Office of Labor Equity

  • Worker Protection Laws
    • Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers
    • Health and Safety Retaliation
    • Prevention of Human Trafficking

**Workers affected by natural disasters can seek emergency or disaster assistance regardless of citizenship status, more information below.**

 

A Guide for Employers

What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace:

  • This guide provides practical advice for addressing immigration-related actions in the workplace. First published in December 2017, it is available in multiple languages, including Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Thai.

Know Your Rights: At Schools and Universities

State of California Department of Justice Attorney General Bonta Guidance and Model Policies

 

K-12

Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) – resources and guidance for schools, students, and families:

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD):

 

Higher Education:

State of California Department of Justice Attorney General Bonta Guidance and Model Policies

On Campus Legal Services:

*Services may be limited to students and employees. Consult with each provider about eligibility.

Public Libraries

State of California Department of Justice Attorney General Bonta Guidance and Model Policies  

Protect Yourself from Immigration Scams

Protect Yourself from Immigration Scams 

Getting the Right Immigration Legal Help

RepresentLA service providers offer support in different areas. Please note that capacity is limited and varies by organization. For more information, please reach out to each organization using the links below:

 National Immigration Legal Services Directory  

  • Search for immigration legal services providers by state, county, or detention facility. Only nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost immigration legal services are included in this directory. 

The State Bar of California 

Public Charge and Benefits Access for Immigrants

  • OIA’s Public Charge FAQ: provides detailed information on the public charge test and immigrant eligibility for public benefits, programs and services. 
  • BAILA Network: offers benefits enrollment assistance, including answering questions about eligibility and public charge. 
  • Public Charge Guide: provides current information regarding federal changes to “public charge” determinations and the use of public benefits. 
    • The guide is available in the following languages: 
      • Armenian, Chinese, English, Farsi, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Mien, Pashto, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. 

Housing, Tenants, and Homelessness

Housing Rights Center (HRC) – Offers free housing counseling, discrimination investigation and outreach and education.

  • For rental assistance, shelter and housing, call 211. 
  • Fair housing is your right: Call the Housing Rights Hotline to speak a housing counselor at the Housing Rights Center at 1-800-477-5977 
    • TTY: 1-213-201-0867 

Stay Housed LA (SHLA) – Helps all tenants in Los Angeles County understand and protect their rights, including immigrant tenants.

  • Learn About Your Rights: Use SHLA’s online resources to learn about your rights as a tenant.
  • Join a Workshop: Sign up for a tenant education workshop or legal clinic
  • Get Legal Help: SHLA provides free legal services to eligible tenants facing eviction.  
      

Homelessness 

National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC)  – Protects homeless people and service providers before, during and after ICE Raids

Shelters  

LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ 

For Youth  

Worker Protections and Resources During a Natural Disaster

Worker Protections and Resources:  

As a worker in Los Angeles County, you are protected regardless of your immigration status. If you work in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, your employer must do the following: 

    1. Your employer must pay you the County’s minimum wage of $17.27 per hour.
    2. Your employer must not retaliate against you if you report any public health violations in the workplace. 
    3. If you are a justice impacted individual, your employer must follow the Fair Chance Process.
    4. You are protected from exploitation. 

If you are a worker affected by the recent disasters, you can seek emergency or disaster assistance regardless of your citizenship status. 

    1. Protection Against Retaliation: It is illegal for employers to retaliate against workers for seeking assistance, refusing unsafe work (such as in evacuation zones), or reporting workplace safety violations. Los Angeles County prohibits firing, cutting hours, demoting, or disciplining workers who report such concerns. 
    2. Sick Leave: Workers affected by the wildfires can use accrued paid sick leave for health issues caused by the disaster or to care for an ill family member. 
    3. Evacuation Rights: Workers have a right to refuse work in evacuation zones. 

 

Reporting and Contact Information: 

If your employer violates your worker rights contact the County’s Office of Labor Equity: