• Choose one or two trained staff members (e.g., a General Manager or Security Lead) to handle all interactions with law enforcement or immigration agents. It’s important to note that if agents arrive with a judicial warrant, they may proceed without waiting to speak to your designated contact. 

• All staff, vendors, and touring parties should know to refer any ICE or law-enforcement inquiries directly to the liaison. 

• The liaison should be provided with comprehensive training and a list of important contacts for each show. See more on this in the next section.  

Keep an up-to-date list of emergency contacts, including after-hours contact information, that is easily accessible to staff. Here is a sample Emergency Contact Sheet, including the venue owner/GM, lawyer, immigrant legal hotline, and more.   

To fill out your emergency contact sheet, build your local partnerships:

• Reach out to your state’s ACLU. It’s good to have a contact there and they may have suggestions for local resources. 

• Find local legal services. Search for your zip code in this directory of legal services. It includes advocacy organizations that might be potential partners, and you can reach out to groups offering legal services to find out if they’d be able to offer support in the event of a raid. 

• Find your local immigrant-rights groups. These may include statewide coalitions, community legal clinics, or rapid-response networks. For example, Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) in Oregon operates a hotline that community members can call for support.  

• Reach out to your local business associations and find out if they have guidance or resources for potential immigration-enforcement actions. Ask how they plan to support their members in the aftermath of enforcement actions. 

If you do not have or cannot find an existing network or local partner, email culturelab@wscpdx.org for support identifying local resources. 

• Staff should be trained to calmly confirm who is requesting entry. Do not open the door or allow entry until identity and purpose are confirmed. 

• If someone identifies as law enforcement, staff should call your designated Law Enforcement Liaison - and let the agent(s) know they’re calling a supervisor. 

• Ask directly whether they are police or immigration agents, and the specific agency where they work. 

• Look for shield-shaped federal badges or uniforms labeled Homeland Security. Agents in camo or other tactical gear often indicate ICE or CBP. 

• If an officer or agent demands immediate entrance because they have a warrant, ask to see it, read it carefully, and take a photo of it with your phone. See below for more information about warrants. 

• A judicial warrant is issued by a court and signed by a judge or magistrate. Judicial warrants may authorize entry into private, non-public spaces when valid and within the scope they describe. 

• An administrative warrant is issued by an immigration agency (ICE/CBP/USCIS). These are not court orders and do not authorize entry into private, non-public areas. 
  

  Review sample judicial and administrative warrants ahead of time to help staff recognize the differences quickly. You can take a look at examples here.

• Who issued it: A judicial warrant will list a court and a judge or magistrate and must include their signature. An administrative warrant will list a DHS agency and may reference DHS forms (like an I-200 or I-205). 

• Scope: A valid judicial warrant should clearly state who it applies to and what location it authorizes access to, including the correct address and what spaces or items may be searched. 

• Date: Confirm the date is current and within the timeframe listed. Warrants executed after the date specified are invalid. 

• Errors can matter: Missing signatures, incorrect address, misspellings, or vague/unlimited search scope can all indicate a defective judicial warrant. 

If you have any doubt about a warrant’s validity or scope, seek guidance from legal counsel before acting. If you believe the warrant is not valid, voice your opinion to the officer/agent and then make a written record of your objection. Do not physically interfere with the officer/agent if they demand to execute their warrant.  

• Public areas (like lobbies, foyers, sidewalks) are generally considered open to the public and more accessible to outside parties (such as immigration enforcement agents). 

• Private areas (typically include backstage, offices, green rooms, and storage) are spaces where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. These are not open to the general public and require explicit consent or a judicial warrant for access. 

• Ticketed or credential-restricted spaces often function as private spaces. Clearly define these areas using signage, access control, and staff training to maintain those boundaries. 

  • Post signage identifying “STAFF ONLY / NON-PUBLIC AREA.” 

  • Make clear that backstage, green rooms, and production zones are not open to the public without permission. 

  • DO NOT give permission to the officer or agent to access private areas unless they present a judicial warrant that is valid and specifically identifies the private area involved.

Public vs. private space can be a gray area, and how your specific venue layout is classified may vary. You should consult legal counsel to confirm how your space should be designated and interpreted.

Train your staff on the core concepts in this guide and ensure they understand how your venue will respond if local law enforcement immigration agents arrive. This includes establishing internal policies, making information accessible, and clarifying who is responsible for what

• Train staff on the concepts in this guidance: Identifying agents, warrant types, the difference between public and private areas, and knowing basic rights. 

• Create and document internal policies: Determine procedures, designate a law enforcement liaison, ensure staff know where policies live, and keep I-9 files stored separately from other HR or personnel records. Remember you have three days to respond to a Notice of Inspection of I-9s issued by ICE. DO NOT WAIVE this 3-day period. 

• Develop a clear communications plan for how information will be shared: Internally (ownership, staff, artists/tour team) and externally (audience, public, press) so that messaging remains accurate, timely, consistent, and controlled. 

• Post and maintain signage: Clearly mark private spaces and any credentialed/ticketed areas that function as private and consider placing simple “Know Your Rights” signage where appropriate. 

• Incorporate this topic into regular staff briefings: Especially before high attention shows or events where conflict or targeting is more likely. 

• Make sure staff know where the emergency contact sheet lives and how to access it: Keep it updated consistently.  

• Practice short scenario walk-throughs regularly: Front of house, security, and box office should all practice applying these concepts under realistic conditions. Here are a few common scenarios: 

  • ICE presence outside the venue but requesting access to the venue’s parking lot which is on private property.

  • Misinformation or panic spreads during the show (rumor, social media alert, overheard comments).

  • Detention occurs near the venue.

  • ICE agents purchase tickets to a program at your venue and then show up in official garb and start questioning attendees.