Adult Services | Learning

Supporting Immigrants at Our Libraries

By Cristy Moran: Published on
Adult Services, Learning

Recently, a question came across my inbox through a professional listserv from a library thousands of miles away:  

Subject: ICE at library events 

Body: 

My library system offers several programs for the Latine community, including our Hispanic Heritage Festival, which brings in hundreds of people.   

Recently, I have had staff express concern about the possibility of authorities coming to the festival or other programming and trying to perform a raid or ask people for their papers.  

I wanted to know if others were thinking/planning for this possibility. 

Less than a week later, I received a question via email from a library in our state about immigrant rights, noting an increase of anxiety and fear among both community members and library staff. A week after that, I received another email from a different library asking if other libraries have reached out about potential immigration enforcement situations at libraries. Then a week later… You get the idea.  

Not a week has gone by since that initial email reached my inbox that I haven’t encountered a question about a library and library staff members’ roles concerning immigration enforcement, immigrant rights, potential profiling of some library visitors, and similar topics. Just looking at some of the Demographics & Population Research tools on the Colorado State Library page will give you some idea why: Our communities are the exact communities that have a reason to be concerned.  

In 2020, American Libraries Magazine published “Know Your Rights—and Theirs: How Libraries Prepare for Possible ICE Activity.” In the years since, demographics changes—in part driven by new community residents with varying residency and citizenship statuses, political polarization, and changing legislation have increased the urgency for answers and resources.  

As with other sensitive issues that arise in library work while in the service of community members or in the daily operations of information/ resource stewardship, librarians and staff are sometimes approached with questions we’re uncertain about answering and faced with unanticipated situations for which we feel underprepared—if prepared at all.  

Where we are empowered is to be agents of information sharing and community connection on immigration topics as with all other topics. In this post, we share some guidance for policies, ready resources for Colorado-based assistance, and learning materials.  

Policy Guidance  

Colorado State Library recommends that local libraries create robust policies and procedures for operations and all areas of service based on the realities of life in the communities they serve. Guidance (including sample policies) is provided on the Public Library Leadership section of the state library website. Additionally, consultants from the Office of Library Development can assist by providing training and resources related to law, policy, and practice.  

American Library Association provides guidance on responding to law enforcement requests and includes a section on “Libraries and Immigration Enforcement” that refers to federal law.  

Additionally, guidance has been published by the California Attorney General; and while it includes guidance based on federal law, it is centered on the needs and experiences of California: “Promoting Safe and Secure Libraries for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s Public Libraries in Responding to Immigration Issues” (PDF, California Attorney General, December 2024) 

It is important to note that while neither Colorado Library Law nor Colorado Public Library Standards explicitly refers to residency, immigration, naturalization, citizenship, etc. status, libraries must operate with full compliance of relevant federal, state, and local laws. Review of resulting documents from a search of Colorado Revised Statutes is recommended.  

 

Immigrant Rights and Legal Assistance

Know Your Rights information and educational programs are key resources to which libraries can provide access.  

The most comprehensive and relevant information for Colorado libraries is the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s resources which include a toolkit of Know Your Rights materials including Family Preparedness Packets and one-pagers in various languages that can be printed and distributed at the library.  

Other materials, not specific to Colorado include: 

  • The Know Your Rights page from United We Dream is a toolkit-of-sorts with bullet points of your rights as well as images and graphics that can be used in a social media campaign or otherwise shared digitally 
  • AFL-CIO provides a Know Your Rights (PDF) infographic in English and Spanish including a card that can be handed to an officer to assert an individual’s constitutional right to remain silent 

Legal advice is not something libraries provide; however, libraries provide crucial access to community organizations and networks for legal assistance, sometimes even providing space for pro bono legal clinics and neutral meeting spaces for meditations.  

A ready list of contacts for seekers of legal support in Colorado include: 

  • “My Citizenship or Immigration” is an option for type of assistance needed  
  • Page translation does not appear to be provided, additional tools for translation may be required (see: Google Translate)  
  • Scroll through to page 37 where the listings for Colorado offices begins 
  • Though immigration is not a topic listed on the site, topics like “Family Cases” and “Housing Cases” may be applicable to some immigrants seeking assistance 

  

Training for Library Staff 

Colorado State Library echoes the recommendation made by the California Attorney General in their “Promoting Safe and Secure Libraries for All” guidance document: 

Public libraries should establish and administer training programs regarding immigration issues for all library personnel, including volunteers and security guards employed by the library. This training should include information on responding to a request from an officer enforcing immigration law for physical access to nonpublic areas of the library or library records (Colorado Attorney General, 2024, p. 12). 

Training for library staff may include basic information related to immigrant rights, state and local agencies relevant to New Americans, legal assistance networks, and other community resources.  

Colorado libraries, including Arapahoe Library District, have invited Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition to provide public and staff training or education. Find your regional organizer or call them at their hotline to get connected.  

Additionally, learning about how other libraries have provided support to immigrants and responded to situations related to enforcement is recommended. Probably the best resource for librarians and staff is REFORMA.  

REFORMA is the national professional association of librarians and staff who support Spanish-speaking and Latine communities. Membership provides access to news and events relevant to the service of immigrants and refugees at libraries.  

*** 

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of work to be done and it is hard to find what’s available without already being entrenched in it and entrenchment is a place of urgency, fear, and confusion. Being prepared ahead of time and being engaged in networks where information and support flow organically is key to being responsive in thoughtful, empathetic, and impactful ways.  

The resources in this post are just the start of a lifetime of conversation and work to ensure that our communities are cared for in the best way that libraries can: with information, resources, and community connections.  

Cristy Moran
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