Steps to Making a Plan

Step 1: Provide a Safe and Supportive Environment

Reassure patients that your role as a family doctor is to prioritize their health and wellbeing, regardless of their immigration status.

Confirm confidentiality, emphasizing that their immigration status will not be reported.

Step 2: Connect Them to Legal Resources

Refer them to trusted immigration attorneys or organizations that provide free or low-cost legal assistance. Examples may include:

  • National Immigration Law Center (NILC)

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

  • Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)

Encourage them to explore whether they qualify for any forms of legal protection, such as asylum, visas, or deferred action programs.

Step 3: Create a Family Emergency Plan

Help patients organize important documents and make plans for their families:

Gather Important Documents:

  • Birth certificates, passports, work permits, medical records, and school records

  • Copies of these should be stored in a safe, accessible location and shared with a trusted person

Assign a Legal Guardian for Children:

  • Parents can complete a Power of Attorney or custody arrangement form to designate someone to care for their children if they are detained

Prepare Financial Plans:

  • Ensure access to bank accounts and financial resources through joint accounts or signed authorizations

Step 4: Discuss Medical Needs

Provide copies of medical records, including immunization records for children, and ensure ongoing prescriptions are documented.

Suggest creating a medical history summary for emergencies.

Step 5: Help Build a Support Network

Encourage patients to identify and share their plan with trusted individuals who can support them, such as family, friends, or community organizations.

Suggest joining local immigrant support groups for emotional and practical assistance.

Step 6: Stay Informed About Rights

Educate patients about their rights if approached by immigration officials:

  • They have the right to remain silent and not open the door unless presented with a signed judicial warrant

  • Provide a “Know Your Rights” card they can carry (many organizations like the ACLU offer downloadable versions)

Step 7: Community Resources

Direct patients to local immigrant advocacy organizations that can assist with planning and support during a deportation event.

Step 8: Mental Health Support

Recognize the emotional toll this situation may cause and offer resources for mental health counseling if needed.