Residents took to the streets of Baldwin and Freeport last Sunday for a mobile demonstration calling for the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from their neighborhoods. The protesters stated that the goals of the demonstration were to raise awareness of what they deem to be injustices in local communities, and to stand in support of immigrant neighbors across the county.
Demonstrators gathered outside Christ Lutheran Church in Freeport. Organizers from the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance gave them the details of the protest’s route and instructions for placing protest signage on their vehicles.
The signs had demands such as “ICE Out,” “No Human is Illegal” and “Love thy Neighbor.” The protesters drove along Merrick Road, which organizer Rebecca Maines explained was intentional because of reported ICE activity and arrests along the major street.
Richard Koubek, a representative of the Immigrant Justice Alliance, explained that there was a great need for these demonstrations, focused not only on ICE’s actions, but also on the Nassau County Police Department’s collaboration with the agency.
“One of the goals is to call attention to the unjustifiable collaboration between the Nassau County Police and ICE through the 287(g) agreements, which allow them to collaborate with ICE,” Koubek said. “We’re also calling attention to the immorality of the roundups of immigrants, three-quarters of whom have no criminal record.”
ICE’s 287(g) program authorizes it to request that state and local law enforcement officers undertake “specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight,” according to ICE’s website. The program is intended to promote more seamless immigration law-enforcement efforts.
The agency has at least one active agreement with state or local officials in 40 U.S. states, including, in New York state, Nassau County.
The Nassau County Police Department said it would respond to questions whether it would consider reviewing or repeal its 287(g) agreement with ICE, but had not done so by the time of publication.
One protester, Cheryl Keshner, a member of the Immigrant Justice Alliance, said that a public demonstration of compassion and support for migrant families living in fear is an important way to show more humanity than she believes ICE and many government officials are displaying.
“They’re separating families — they’re violently tearing people out of the communities,” Keshner said.
“These are not people who are a danger to us. These are our friends, our neighbors, our family. So we’re here to say enough is enough. We need this to stop, and we want our immigrant community to know that they’re not alone and that we support them.”
Keshner added that she believed immigration law enforcement ought to be handled by local police, particularly when dealing with criminal offenders.
At Christ Lutheran, Immigrant Justice Alliance volunteers offered people information on dealing with ICE agents and other immigration concerns. A representative of the church said it was not part of the protest, and had agreed only to allow the program to use the building and to let the caravan begin in its parking lot.
The event did not have a religious theme, but participants were from a variety of denominations and faiths, including Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Buddhists. Maines said that despite the rhetoric of some Christians justifying the actions of the federal government and ICE, she felt called to follow the principal of loving your neighbors.
“It’s very important to me to look at the words that Jesus actually said, telling us to welcome our neighbor, and that is what we do to the least of us,” Maines said.
“I think it’s very important to me as a Christian to stand with people who are suffering, the people in need.”
