In early February, Keep Tucson Together (KTT) launched the “People’s Power Campaign,” which aims to protect families from raids, detention, and deportation by providing legal counsel, materials, and “know your rights” information. KTT provides community members with updates on changing immigration policies every Thursday during its forum and legal clinic at Tucson’s Pueblo High School.

The first installment of the campaign unites Tucsonans to defend their civil liberties and constitutional protections. Volunteers are distributing bright, bold door signs that assert the fact that authorities cannot enter without a valid search warrant to arrest someone who is actually on the premises.

The second piece of the campaign provides noncitizens with a Form G-28, an official notice of representation, which names the attorney representing them. KTT volunteers operate a 24-7 emergency hotline that allows clients quick access to their attorney.

The third initiative creates paquetes de poder (power packets), a selection of prepared legal documents requesting a hearing in front of an immigration judge, with supporting paperwork demonstrating length of US residency.

Each year, ICE and other federal agencies detain individuals who are bystanders to planned enforcement action. These detentions often occur because individuals fail to assert their legal right to deny access. KTT and partners seek to end unlawful searches and seizures that tear apart and threaten local families and communities.