Citizens and Immigrants: Know Your Rights

Citizens and Immigrants: Know Your Rights

For anyone in Texas, these are your rights.

Composed by TexasLawHelp.org • Last Updated on January 29, 2025

Immigration laws and policies are changing rapidly in 2025, with more enforcement expected. Share your emergency plan with trusted family, friends, and co-workers. Know your rights and keep this information handy.

Identification

• If you have a valid work permit or green card, carry it with you at all times. If you do not have one, carry a state ID or driver’s license if it was issued in the United States.
• Do not carry documentation of your country of origin.

If a police or immigration officer approaches...

In a traffic stop

Stay calm and polite. Keep your hands on the wheel, or let the officer know what you are doing. The driver is only required to share their name, driver’s license, and proof of insurance.

At home

You do not need to open the door to anyone without a warrant. The warrant must be signed by a judge with your name, address, and permission to search. The officer can hand it to you through a window or slip it under the door.

If they do not have one, politely say, “Please leave.”

At work or in public

You do not need to respond to questions or consent to a search of your person or belongings without an officer presenting a valid warrant. The warrant must be signed by a judge with your name, address, and permission to search.

You always have the right to:

• Ask for the officer’s name and agency.
• Ask if you are free to go. If not, ask why you are being detained or arrested.
• Ask to speak with a lawyer before signing anything or saying anything to the officer, except your name, birthday, and address in the case of detention or arrest.

At a hospital or ER...

• Texas hospitals and ERs are required to ask about your citizenship or immigration status.
• You are not required to answer. Not answering should not affect what care you receive.
• However, you may be required to show some form of photo ID.

If you are being arrested...

• You may ask to park your car where it will be safe or give your belongings to someone standing there with you. Do not run or resist.
• You have a right to ask to speak with a lawyer before saying anything to the officer or signing anything. You have a right to speak with the lawyer by private phone call where the officer directs you to call. Any other phone calls may be monitored or recorded by law enforcement.

If someone else is being approached or arrested...

Do not interrupt an arrest, though you have a right to witness and even record it if you deem it safe. Follow officer instructions, such as to move back.

Your children

• If your child was born in the United States, register your child’s birth with your country’s government, for example, with your country’s consulate.
• Make sure all information and emergency contacts are up to date at your children’s schools, including who can and cannot pick up your children.
• Complete a nonparent authorization so another adult can care for your children temporarily if needed.

Your car

To avoid being pulled over:

• Keep your car registration up to date.
• Keep lights working.
• Do not hang things from your rearview mirror.
• Ensure front and rear license plates are clearly displayed.
• Do not exceed the maximum window tint percentage (25%) on front and front side windows.
• Follow speed limits and all other traffic laws.

Documents and finances

• Do not use false information.
• Start saving money. You may need money to hire an attorney and for toiletries and food during detention.

Emergency information

• Create a file of important papers and give your emergency contacts access to it. Include any lawyer’s contact information, copies of legal status documents or applications, a nonparent authorization, the location of a backup home key and car key, and any important bills that need to be paid to keep the home or car.
• Set up your phone and any other device where you have an emergency sheet or status information with six-digit number passcode protection, not pattern, face, or fingerprint recognition.
• Set up a power of attorney with an emergency contact so they can access your bank account and other needed assets in case of your arrest or detention.

More tips

• If you have been in the country less than a year and have been a victim of a crime, or you have a family member who is a U.S. citizen, then you may be able to apply for asylum or other legal status.
• Do it immediately because the process takes time. If you have legal documents allowing you to be in the U.S. but have lost your documents, correct that immediately.
• Contact a lawyer or go to a Know Your Rights clinic to help with this preparation.

Related guides

I need to give a nonparent permission to care for my child.

I need to give a nonparent permission to care for my child.

This toolkit helps you fill out an agreement to let a caregiver temporarily make important decisions for a child.

I need court approval for an authorization agreement for a nonparent adult caregiver.

I need court approval for an authorization agreement for a nonparent adult caregiver.

Use this guide if you need court permission to sign a written Authorization Agreement for Nonparent Adult Caregiver.

Related articles

Immigration Rights Resources

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Regardless of your immigration status, you have rights. Be prepared for police and immigration by learning your rights and how to use them.

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This article provides resources for organizations in Texas that provide help if you are an immigrant.

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This article explains the form a nonparent can use to grant an adult caregiver the authority to make decisions for a child.

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Related forms and flyers

Know Your Rights Flyer

Know Your Rights Flyer

This document outlines the rights of citizens and noncitizens during emergencies and in various situations, including traffic stops, healthcare visits, workplaces, and public places.

Volante - Conozca Sus Derechos

Volante - Conozca Sus Derechos

Este documento resume los derechos de ciudadanos y no ciudadanos durante emergencias y en diversas situaciones, como detenciones de tráfico, visitas a centros de salud, lugares de trabajo y espacios públicos.

Immigrant Rights (Pashto) | د کډوالو حقوق (پښتو)

Immigrant Rights (Pashto) | د کډوالو حقوق (پښتو)

دا سند د اتباعو او غیر اتباعو حقوق په بیړنیو حالاتو او مختلفو شرایطو کې بیانوي، پشمول د ترافیکي تلاشیو، د روغتیايي خدماتو د لیدنو، د کار ځایونو، او عامه ځایونو.

Immigrant Rights (Dari) | حقوق مهاجران (دری)

Immigrant Rights (Dari) | حقوق مهاجران (دری)

این سند حقوق شهروندان و غیرشهروندان را در مواقع اضطراری و در موقعیت‌های مختلف، از جمله توقف‌های ترافیکی، مراجعه به مراکز صحی، محل‌های کار و اماکن عمومی بیان می‌کند.

Sources

• Citizens and Immigrants: Know Your Rights, TexasLawHelp.org, archived by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, September 29, 2026. Original article last updated January 29, 2025.