Preparing Your Coffee Shop for an Immigration Enforcement Visit

The Department of Homeland Security’s coordinated enforcement actions in support of the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy have upended normal business operations.

In recent weeks, reports have proliferated of raids that are questionable in their legality and devastating for families and communities. Beyond the moral and ethical dimensions—and the need to recognize the humanity of vulnerable groups—this crisis has rapidly become a serious workplace safety matter.

Coffee shops are easily accessible public spaces, making them prime targets for profiling by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. As we confront this assault on constitutional protections—especially the Fourth Amendment, which shields people in the U.S. from unreasonable government searches and seizures regardless of immigration status—it is essential to understand the law, your rights, and the rights of your employees and customers.

In recent discussions with business owners about these raids, the comment I hear most often is, “I have I-9s for all of my employees. This doesn’t affect my business.”

Yet despite the portrayal of these actions as targeting only undocumented immigrants, a troubling number of accounts describe U.S. citizens being questioned and detained. Racial profiling by ICE agents is insidious and widespread, endangering your employees and customers.

That means a plan for when ICE comes to your coffee shop—whether or not you ever need it—is as vital as any other workplace safety policy. Here’s how to prepare.

What Employers Should Do

Distinguish Judicial Warrants From Administrative Warrants

This distinction is key to understanding how ICE may proceed upon entering your business. A judicial warrant is signed by a judge and grants broad authority to search the premises. An administrative warrant is not a court order and does not permit ICE to enter private areas. An administrative warrant will bear the words “Department of Homeland Security” on forms I-200 and I-205.

If ICE agents claim to have a judicial warrant, ask to see it and confirm that it is signed by a judge. Check the name, location, and areas the agents are authorized to access.

Post ‘Private Area’ Signs in Employee-Only Rooms

ICE agents may enter public areas, but in most cases they are not allowed into private areas. The best way to protect these spaces is to display signs stating that only employees may enter.

While there is no guarantee that ICE will not attempt to access these spaces and pressure you to allow entry, you should grant permission only when a judicial warrant is present. Ideally, these areas should be kept locked.

Limit Cooperation With ICE

Employers need do little to cooperate with ICE without a judicial warrant. If an administrative warrant is presented, employers are not required to disclose an employee’s schedule, whereabouts, or immigration status. They also do not have to provide employment records.

If agents possess a judicial warrant, employers may be compelled to allow access to private areas, provide employment records, or confirm whether the person named in the warrant is on site. Lying to or obstructing agents with a judicial warrant may carry legal consequences.

Document as Much as You Can

If you feel comfortable, begin filming from a safe distance. You are legally permitted to film in public areas as long as you do not obstruct ICE agents. You should state that you are filming and observing, not interfering. ICE agents cannot detain you for filming, tell you to stop, or demand that you delete a video when you are in a public space. After a raid, record everything that happened, including how many agents were present, how they were dressed, and what they said. You should inform your immediate community that ICE is in the area and entering businesses.

Learn About Local Immigration Response Efforts

In many areas, rapid response teams can offer practical guidance and resources before and after an ICE raid. Save the phone numbers for your local rapid response group in your phone and display them for your staff.

What Staff Should Do

Do Not Run

ICE agents may assume that anyone who runs is violating immigration law and detain them regardless of their documentation status.

Limit Communication With ICE Agents

A business owner, manager, or supervisor should take responsibility for speaking with ICE agents who enter coffee shops. Workers are allowed to say they cannot give permission to enter the space and direct agents to speak with their employer. They should exercise their right to remain silent.

Employees do not need to discuss their immigration status or provide proof of it without a judicial warrant bearing their name. They do not need to discuss the whereabouts of an employee. They should stay silent and ask for an attorney if it appears they will be detained and cannot provide papers.

The Bottom Line

Creating procedures for ICE raids is not an act of political activism. It is a necessary business operation at a time when laws and rights are being repeatedly violated in public spaces.

It is an employer’s responsibility to protect those who come through their shops, particularly their employees. While you cannot safeguard against every possible scenario in which ICE may break the law, you stand a much better chance of protecting those on site during a raid by having clear plans in place to assert their rights, deny unlawful access, and stay silent.