This publication advises non-citizens, and particularly undocumented non-citizens, how to interact with the police. If you are undocumented, the publication advises you:
1. Do not provide government officials information about your immigration status.
2. Do not lie.
3. Do not give false documents or carry false documentation. You do not have to tell or provide your country of birth.
4. Do not carry papers from another country. If you do, the government can use this information in a deportation proceeding.
5. Always make sure to make an emergency plan with your loved ones (in case you are detained or deported).
6. Do not sign anything at all without understanding what you are signing. If you do not understand, ask for an interpreter.
The brief publication provides other important and extremely helpful tips. It was distributed at workshops across New York City but does not appear to be posted on the Legal Aid Society website, or at least I can’t find it there. This copy appears on the website of the Council of Peoples Organization. The publication was also available in Spanish at the workshops, but I have not located the Spanish-language version online.
http://copo.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Police-encounters-English.pdf