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Nonprofit and state presenters urge businesses to adopt clear policies, staff roles and documented procedures if immigration agents arrive
Summary
Public Counsel and the California Labor Commissioner’s Office advised businesses to mark private areas, designate authorized personnel to speak with officers, train staff on digital security and incident documentation, and adopt written policies (sample templates to be provided).
Ritu Mahajan and Sofia Wrench of Public Counsel used examples and sample templates to urge employers to adopt clear, written policies governing interactions with law enforcement and immigration agents.
Ritu recommended marking and practicing the distinction between public and nonpublic spaces, and ensuring signage and workplace practices align so private‑area expectations are enforceable. "Signs alone don't make a space private," she said, urging businesses to pair markings with consistent access practices.
Presenters urged businesses to designate a small set of authorized persons to receive and review warrants, to tell other staff not to answer questions or sign documents, and to document any encounter. They counseled against giving voluntary consent to enter private areas and emphasized announcing any recording while keeping a safe distance. Presenters said they will share template policies and rapid‑response numbers in the slide deck.
On staff wellbeing, Ritu suggested employers provide trauma‑informed support after a raid, consider temporary leave or separation pay where appropriate, and ensure payroll or emergency contact processes are updated so pay and benefits can be delivered to affected workers.
Sofia recommended minimizing retained sensitive data and using encrypted communications (for example, Signal) rather than text messages when sharing Social Security numbers or driver’s license photos. She said Public Counsel retains client files for seven years as an illustrative example of a retention policy.
The presenters emphasized that these policies should apply to all law enforcement because identification can be difficult in practice, and that training and rehearsals can reduce panic and harmful errors during high‑stress encounters.
