Family Safety Plan

Prepare Before an Emergency — Chicago Area

The best time to make a plan is before anything happens. This page walks you through the steps to protect your family, your children, and your finances if you or a family member is detained or deported. You do not need a lawyer for most of these steps.

📁 Step 1: Gather Your Documents

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Collect, copy, and store these documents in a safe place. Give copies to a trusted person. Keep originals in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.

  • IDs — Passports, consular IDs, state IDs, driver's licenses for every family member
  • Birth certificates — For you and every child (US-born children need US birth certificates)
  • Marriage or divorce certificates
  • Immigration documents — Any applications, letters from USCIS, work permits, visa stamps, your A-number if you have one
  • Social Security cards or ITIN letters
  • Medical records — Medications, allergies, doctor names, insurance cards
  • School records — Enrollment papers, IEP documents if applicable
  • Financial records — Bank accounts, pay stubs, lease/mortgage, car titles, insurance policies
  • Criminal records — Certificates of disposition, court orders (if any)
  • Tax returns — Last 3 years
Tip: Make digital copies too. Email them to yourself or save them to a cloud drive that your trusted person can access. Take photos with your phone as a backup.

👶 Step 2: Plan for Your Children

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Choose a trusted adult who can care for your children if you cannot. This person should:

  • Be 18 or older and live in the U.S. (someone nearby is easiest)
  • Be someone your children know and trust
  • Know your children's school, doctor, medications, and routines
  • Have agreed to take on this responsibility

Illinois Guardianship Options:

  • Short-term guardianship — Lasts up to 1 year. Does NOT require going to court. You fill out a written form, signed by 2 adult witnesses. If the guardianship started because of immigration detention or deportation, it can be renewed for another year.
  • Standby guardianship — A person you name in writing, signed in front of 2 adult witnesses, to step in if you die or can no longer care for your child (for example, because of immigration detention or deportation). The written designation alone does not give full legal authority: the standby guardian must ask the court to be appointed within 60 days of learning that you can no longer care for your child (Illinois Legal Aid Online).
  • Plenary (long-term) guardianship — Requires court approval. Only needed for long-term situations.
Important: A power of attorney is NOT a guardianship. In Illinois, a POA usually does not give someone the right to care for or make decisions about your children. For childcare, you need a guardianship form.
Tip: A short-term guardianship does not require a lawyer or a judge. But if your situation is complicated, talk to one.

Make sure the guardian has:

  • Copies of your children's birth certificates and IDs
  • School enrollment info and contact numbers
  • Doctor info, insurance cards, and medication lists
  • A signed copy of the guardianship form
  • Your lawyer's contact info (if you have one)
Passports: Make sure all your children have valid passports. If your child was born in the US, apply for a US passport. If born in your home country, contact your consulate. Find Illinois consulates at: chicagoconsularcorps.org
Illinois Legal Aid — Guardianship for Immigrant Children Free Short-Term Guardianship Form (Illinois)

💰 Step 3: Protect Your Finances

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Choose someone you trust to handle your money and property if you are detained. This person is your financial Power of Attorney (POA).

A financial POA can:

  • Access your bank account
  • Pick up your paycheck
  • Pay your rent, bills, and utilities
  • Post bond to get you out of detention
  • Manage or sell property

Create a financial plan that lists:

  • Bank accounts — names, account numbers, which bank
  • Your employer, pay schedule, and how you receive payment
  • Rent or mortgage — amount, due date, landlord contact
  • Car payments, insurance, registration
  • Other bills — utilities, phone, medical debt
  • Any cash stored at home and where it is
Important: Without a POA, it can be hard for anyone else to reach your money if you are detained. A joint account holder can usually use a joint account, but others may be refused. Bills can go unpaid, and you could fall behind on rent, a mortgage or car payments.
Tip: Adding a trusted person as a joint owner on a bank account can give them quick access in an emergency. But a joint owner can withdraw all of the money, and it can have other legal or benefit effects. Ask your bank or a legal aid organization before you do it.

📇 Step 4: Emergency Contact Card

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Write this information on a small card and keep it in your wallet at all times. Memorize what you can. If you are detained, your phone may be taken from you.

  • Your full legal name and A-number (if you have one)
  • Your immigration lawyer's name and phone number
  • Your emergency contact person's name and phone number
  • Your children's guardian's name and phone number
  • ICIRR Family Support Network: 855-435-7693
  • NIJC (Chicago): 312-660-1370
Tip: Make a card for every adult in your household. Give a card to your children's guardian too. If you are detained, you can ask to make a phone call — but only if you have a number memorized.

🗣️ Step 5: Talk to Your Family

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Everyone in your household needs to know the plan — including children old enough to understand.

  • Practice what to do if ICE comes to your door — Don't open it. Ask for a warrant signed by a judge. Slide a "Know Your Rights" card under the door.
  • Everyone should know: the emergency contact person, the guardian's name and number, and where important documents are kept
  • Children should know: their full name, your full name, your phone number, the guardian's name, and that it's okay to stay silent if a stranger asks questions
  • Have a code word — a word your family uses to confirm that a message or pickup is real
  • Decide ahead of time: if you are deported, do you want your children to stay in the US or come with you? Talk to a lawyer about this before it happens
Don't wait. These conversations are hard, but they are much harder in the middle of a crisis. Having a plan does not mean something bad will happen — it means you are protecting your family.

📞 Free Help & Resources

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NIJC — National Immigrant Justice Center312-660-1370 ICIRR — Family Support Network855-435-7693 Chicago Volunteer Legal Services — Guardianship Help312-332-1624 Cook County Guardianship Desk for Minors(312) 603-0135 Illinois Legal Aid — Full Safety Planning Guide ILRC — Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan Informed Immigrant — Family Preparedness Toolkit Immigrant Defense Project — Emergency Prep
Watch out for fraud! Only a licensed attorney or accredited representative can help with immigration cases. Do not pay anyone who promises to "get you in line" or "fix your status" without proof they are licensed. Report fraud to 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357) or visit StopNotarioFraud.org