Understand Your Rights & Responsibilities in the United States
Your Rights
All people in the U.S. have basic rights. You must learn and know the laws. You are responsible for knowing the laws and understanding what may happen to you if you break them. In the United States, you can be punished if you break the law, even if you did not know about the law you broke.
Rights that are important for you to know:
Everyone who lives in the United States has basic civil rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and the freedom to peacefully assemble.
Job discrimination is illegal in the United States. No one can use your race, color, religion, sex, and national origin to deny you a job.
If USCIS has granted you work authorization, you can work in the United States.
Public services and benefits are available to those who are eligible for them.
U.S. LAWS
In the United States there are many laws. Every person in the U.S. is responsible for knowing the laws and understanding what may happen to them if they break them. People can be arrested and punished if they break the law, even if they did not know about the law they broke. The punishments can include things like:
Fines (having to pay money)
Jail
Deportation (return) to a home country
For this reason, it is very important that everyone in the U.S. learn and obey the laws. If someone breaks the law, they can be arrested, and their immigration status could be affected.
CONSENT IN SEXUAL RELATIONS
Before having sex in the U.S., both people must consent –or agree –to it. This is true even if people are married or in a relationship. Consent cannot be forced by threats, violence, or misinformation. Silence is not consent, and someone cannot consent if they are unconscious or asleep.
In the U.S., there are laws against:
Violence & Exploitation
This means Intentionally causing harm or injury to another person is against the law in the U.S.
Sexual violence includes:
Trying to force someone to have sex or perform sexual acts
Forcing someone to have sex or perform sexual acts
Unwanted touching
Physical violence includes:
Pushing
Hitting
Strangulation
Any other act that could result in physical injury or harm
Exploitation includes:
Taking advantage of another person to profit form them or to pressure them to do something against their will.
For example:
Making someone work without pay or underpaying them for work
Forcing someone to steal or beg
Deceiving, forcing or coercing someone into sexual activity
Making someone marry against their will
Violence and exploitation are against the law for everyone, and it does not matter if violence occurs between strangers, family members, or friends. For example, it is against the law for parents to hit their children or for a husband to hit his wife.
Discrimination & Harassment
U.S. law prohibits discrimination and harassment.
Discrimination means:
Someone has been denied their rights
Someone has experienced unwelcome behavior because of their race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), national origin, age, or disability
Harassment includes things like:
provoking, stalking, and agitating through behavior such as intimidation, physical violence, threats of harm, and offensive images.
Child Abuse & Neglect
A child is anyone under the age of 18. Children have the right to be safe. Every state in the U.S. has laws that protect children. These laws include parents and children. The types of harm that are illegal in the U.S. include:
PHYSICAL ABUSE
Hitting, slapping, beating, kicking, shaking, or any other kind of physical act that harms or injures, or could harm or injure a child
SEXUAL ABUSE
Any sexual activity between a child and an adult
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
Frequent rejecting, screaming, name calling or belittling a child such that it impairs their development and self-worth, or could impair their development and self-worth
NEGLECT
Not meeting a child’s needs Some examples of neglect include not sending children to school - all girls and boys in the U.S., including children who have disabilities, are required to attend school not taking children to the doctor when they need to go not supervising children appropriately - young children should be always supervised, especially in public places. The person who is supervising should be old enough to be able to care for a child and respond if there is an emergency. For example, a seven-year-old supervising a two-year-old would not be considered safe.
If you have been the victim of a crime, you have the right to seek legal action. To report criminal activity, contact your local police or sheriff’s department first. They can determine if a report of criminal activity needs attention. If it is an emergency, call 911.
Contact with the U.S. Criminal Justice System
If an individual is arrested and accused of a crime in the U.S., they are considered innocent until proven guilty. All individual have a right to legal counsel in the U.S. criminal court system, meaning that if an individual cannot afford to hire a lawyer, they will be provided a publicly funded defense attorney.
Individuals who are not U.S. citizens should discuss their immigration status, and any pending immigration applications, with their criminal defense lawyer. If an individual is working with an immigration attorney, it is also important that the individual informs their immigration attorney of any previous or pending criminal arrests. Non-U.S. citizens who have been arrested should speak to an immigration attorney before ling any immigration applications or traveling internationally.
How to Interact with Police
The role of police in the U.S. is to maintain public order and safety, enforce the law, and protect the rights of individuals. If someone encounters police in public, are stopped by them, or engages with them, they can follow these guidelines:
Stay calm and control emotions
Be respectful and don’t argue
Keep their hands visible and out of their pockets
Don’t run away
Don’t reach for anything suddenly
Stay in one place and be still
Don’t touch or stand too close to a police officer