Guidance from Public Health--Seattle & King County's Child Care Health Program, December 2025 Newsletter
Preparing Your Child Care for Immigration Enforcement Activities
We know that there have been a lot of concerns and fears around Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in our communities and at or near child care and early learning programs.
We received feedback from child care community members that the resources we shared in the February edition were helpful. However, more advice is wanted around what to do during active moments of confrontation with immigration officials.
Now is the time to build out and practice your safety plan. To get started, see:
- Our Disaster flipcharts describe how to respond to a Dangerous Person or Lockdown situations. While these are not comprehensive plans, they are excellent starting points if you do not currently have a plan in place.
- This Guide to Creating “Safe Space” Policies for Early Childhood Programs by the Center for Law and Social Policy offers great ideas. It includes a template and sample language for interacting with immigration officials.
- Information from this guide on What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace (also available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Thai).
Make sure your plan includes:
- Who will speak with unknown visitors, authorities, and emergency services and who will alert other on-site staff to the situation.
- Getting updated emergency contact information for two or three reliable adults who are authorized to pick up children, if needed. Make sure to have emergency contacts for your teachers and staff, as well.
- Notifying families if immigration enforcement or other activities are occurring near the child care, so they can choose to have one of their designated emergency contacts drop off or pick up their child(ren) instead.
- Clearly labeling your facility as “private” if your program has a shared entrance or common areas with other organizations.
Unless the threat is inside the building (fire, flood, or armed person), the safest place for children to be is inside the building because it has:
- Locked doors
- Known staff and friends
- Familiar sights and sounds
- Food, water, heat, etc.
Encourage families and staff to:
- be observant of their surroundings, especially around drop-off and pick-up times, and immediately alert program staff if unknown or suspicious vehicles or people are near the program;
- save the Deportation Defense Hotline on their cell phones: 1-844-724-3737. It is a statewide multilingual hotline open Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM and is staffed by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), which reports and tracks ICE/Customs and Border Protection activity.
For families who want more support, please share:
- Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan / Plan de Preparación Familiar: (Guía Completa) | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC
- Resources for Families with Immigration Concerns (DCYF)
Download, print, and post:
- Immigrant Rapid Response Program flyer from the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, which lists Know Your Rights Trainings, legal supports, and Immigrant Safety Plans.
- Know Your Rights with Police and Federal Immigration Authorities in WA