What’s an MV 4A Workplace?
✔ Secures private employee areas
✔ Identifies invalid ICE warrants
✔ Documents unconstitutional actions
✔ Defends all workers, no matter their immigration status
Join us at 6:00 PM on Thursday, March 5th for a Fourth Amendment Business Training at the West Tisbury Library, 1042 State Rd.
Why Sign Up
✔ Reassure staff and patrons
✔Peace of mind for your employees — being proactive and providing your team with concrete steps and action plans provides security
✔ Free trainings and resources — being prepared can help keep everyone safe
✔Get LUCE verified “ICE on Island” alerts
✔ Join a community of workplaces standing up for our constitutional rights
Receive:
- Free “All are welcome here”, “Judicial Warrant Required”, and “Authorized Personnel” posters
- Sample Fourth Amendment Workplace Protocol (English) (Português) for staff and Know Your Rights information (English) (Português)
Learn:
Read the MV 4A Business toolkit
Training
Watch this video with information about how to be an MV 4A Project Workplace. Please pause the video on slides you need more time to read.
FAQ’s
How do I become an MV 4A Workplace?
Follow these five steps:
- Sign up to be an MV 4A Workplace and Read the MV 4A Toolkit (in English) (em Português)
- Post a sign in the front entrance (provided for free) welcoming everyone and stating you know your 4th Amendment rights.
- Create private and/or employee only space using free provided signage.
- Create a Fourth Amendment Workplace Protocol for your business and train employees. See this sample MV 4A Workplace protocol (English), Exemplo de Protocolo (Português)
- Learn what a signed judicial warrant looks like, which makes it actionable, and know your rights.
See this sample Judicial Warrant (actionable) vs. Immigration Warrant (non-actionable).
See this Workplace Know Your Rights handout (in English) (em Português) and ACLU Know Your Rights information.
Where do I get the signs?
Sign up to request signs and we’ll drop them off to you.
What does a judicial warrant need to be actionable?
To legally enter private spaces, federal agents are required to present a signed judicial warrant. See sample here. Agents have attempted to use unsigned warrants or documents that are not legal documents to gain entry.
Actionable warrants need:
- The correct company name and address
- A proper signature by a judge and a date
- A time frame within which the search must be conducted
- A description of the premises to be searched and a list of items or people to be seized
What's a Fourth Amendment protocol?
A Fourth Amendment protocol allows you to have a plan in place if federal agents come to your workplace. See our sample protocol (in English) (em Português) and train your employees.
What are my rights?
Business owners/operators are encouraged to participate in a “Know Your Rights” Training for more details. This general information comes from the Workplace Guide. It is not legal advice. It is not tailored to your situation. Talk to a lawyer for advice and/or legal services.
- Right to remain silent. You do not have to share information with federal agents about which staff are present, their immigration status or country of origin. You do not have to disclose any information – as with any law enforcement agency, you have the right to remain silent.
- Right to restrict access. Employees can say they are prohibited from granting entry until the arrival of a designated staff point person or consultation with legal counsel.
- Right to refuse access to private areas and to refuse requests to open locked doors.
- Right to decline a search. You can review any warrants they provide, but no matter what, you do not have to consent to a search.
- Right to request counsel. You can decline to answer questions and state that company policy is for legal counsel to review any warrants before access is granted.
- Right to record. You have the right to record any interactions with federal agents and to release surveillance footage later.
- Right to inform. You have the right to alert all present to the presence of federal agents, and to broadcast information about how staff and patrons can protect their Fourth Amendment rights (such as by repeating, “You do not have to answer their questions, you do not have to reveal your country of origin, you do not have to show them ID…”)
Visit our Trainings and Resources page for more information.
Disclaimer – Seek Legal Advice
This website offers general information. It is not legal advice. It is not tailored to your situation. Talk to a lawyer for advice and/or legal services.
Much of the information for this website came from open source Fourth Amendment campaigns, specifically Siembra’s 4th Amendment Works and Indivisible’s Signs of Solidarity.