Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates

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How To Guide: For the Helpers and Lightkeepers.

Maggie Haveman-Gould

For the Lightkeepers, Helpers, Leaders, and concerned non-immigrant friends:

Immigrants are our community; let’s advocate for keeping our community safe. Whatever information you consume, be sure to evaluate its sources to avoid contributing to misinformation and fear.

If you have concerns about friends or community members but don’t require our services personally, we have a list of resources available to download and share with people who may need this information. Not only is it VITAL to understand that everyone has rights - regardless of immigration status - but it is also essential to know what can be done in the event of an emergency. 

LIA Helper Checklist to Support Immigrants

We are here to provide guidance and assistance (within our professional capacity). If you require support or have any questions about available services, please don't hesitate to contact the numbers provided. 

  • New Intake Hotline LIA: 616-221-5542

  • Current LIA: 616-298-8984

  • Intake Line for MIRC: 734-239-6863

  • If you’re in Detention, call MIRC: 734-794-9963

Download, Print, & Share

Preparing families with no status, limited status, or a household with a mix of statuses starts with making a plan. Print these safety booklets, fill them out, and give copies to your designated safe people:

Know Your Rights & Emergency Planning Safety Booklet in English

Know Your Rights & Emergency Planning Safety Booklet in Spanish

These red cards come in a long list of languages and list basic rights if ICE, police, or other authorities stop you. Due to high demand, you can no longer order them, but you can download and print your own to distribute:

Print your own Red Cards/Tarjetas Rojas

These pamphlets are great to print and have at your work, school, library, church, mosque, synagogue, clinic:

LIA Know Your Rights Pamphlets 

Other trusted non-profit organizations in the state of Michigan:

Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) 

Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton, Clinton

United Community Family Services

International Institute of Metro Detroit

Safety Planning

For households with no status or mixed status:

-Follow the LIA Know Your Rights & Emergency Planning booklet linked above-

Regardless of status, be sure to have important documents easily accessible (as if it were a grab-and-go scenario). This includes writing down medications, phone numbers, addresses, family members, friends, etc., as mapped out in the emergency planning booklet.

If you have an active immigration case, carry these items with you in addition to your other documents:

  • G-28 form stating the attorney representing you

  • Your attorney’s business card who is representing your immigration case

  • Proof of any current or pending immigration case (such as a Receipt Notice)

If you are a foreign-born US Citizen, be sure to renew or apply for your US passport.


Safety Planning for Others:

Consider if you might be a safe person for an immigrant household. This does not mean going knocking on doors asking about peoples’ status and if you can be their savior. But if you have a close relationship with someone who might be vulnerable, consider having that discussion with them. When we are helpers, we need to remember that not every job is our job, and burnout is real. Remember: Put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping those around you. 

  • Healthy: a neighbor you’ve known for five years is without status but has US citizen kids. Offer to be a safe person for them, hold onto a copy of their safety planning booklet, and maybe you could be a safe house for kids to stay at if something happens to their parents until the family can help.

  • Unhealthy: following kids you’ve never met home from school so you can ensure they get home safely. That’s just creepy, y’all.

Ask your schools, employers, and community spaces what their response plan is in the event of an ICE raid. If they don’t have a plan, encourage them to do so.

How to stay informed:

Being overwhelmed by too much news isn’t healthy, so here are some ways to subscribe to what’s important without going into information overload. 


Congress Works for You:

This is a reminder that Congress is the one that makes bills into laws, and we the people, elected/hired Congress for that job. Ideas become bills, and bills become laws. It’s a long process, but it’s their job, and they wouldn’t be doing it without our vote. Want to see true immigration reform instead of changes through Executive Orders and presidential memos? Talk to Congress! Call, write, or email whoever is voted into a place of governance, and tell them what you want to see happen with immigration! Then do it again!

Quick US Civics 101 reminder:

Support Our Work

We know there is a lot of work ahead of us with the current immigration changes. While we are an incredibly mighty team, we are still a small organization with the threat of funding being revoked by an Executive Order. If you are able, please consider donating to equip us for the tasks that lie ahead. 

  • Give Online!

  • Venmo @LIAmichigan 

  • Text “LIA” to 44321

  • Paypal LIAmichigan