Thursday, October 1, 2026
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who represents the 22nd Assembly District, which includes Elmont, joined fellow state lawmakers Friday in visiting the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow to inspect the conditions of cells occupied by people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
State Sens. Julia Salazar and Siela Bynoe, Assemblyman Noah Burroughs and Suffolk County Legislator Sam Gonzalez also toured the jail.
According to a release from Salazar’s office shared with the Herald, ICE detained 3,200 people at the correctional facility between February 2025 and March 2026. The majority of detainees had no major criminal convictions or charges.
Solages said the visit was part of an effort to ensure Nassau County follows through with a state mandate ending its agreement with ICE.
“Accountability means showing up more than once,” Solages said. “I’ve toured Nassau County Correctional Facility before, and I returned today with Senator Salazar and my colleagues to see conditions for ourselves … Nassau’s contract with ICE is set to expire on Aug. 25. We are going to make sure that deadline is met.”
Nassau County has cooperated with ICE since February 2025, when County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced that county officers would work with the federal agency in a “targeted” crackdown on undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds. The partnership included allocating 50 local jail cells for ICE detainees.
Salazar and Solages previously visited the facility last July. During that visit, the state officials said they did not observe egregious conditions. Detainees had access to meals, medical care and phones to contact attorneys, although some detainees said they were denied access to showers.
That visit was contentious, with the lawmakers initially denied entry before eventually being allowed inside. A state law allows elected officials to visit local correctional facilities “at pleasure” and without prior authorization.
Solages, who represents her hometown of Elmont and several other communities, chairs the state’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. Salazar represents parts of Brooklyn and chairs the state Commission on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction.
Friday’s visit came as New York state prepares to require localities with agreements with ICE to end them by Aug. 25 under the Dignity Not Detention Act, which was sponsored by Salazar and passed as part of this year’s state budget.
The state Attorney General’s newly created Office of Immigration Trust sent letters to 12 law enforcement agencies, including the Nassau County Police Department, in July directing them to end their agreements with ICE.
“Nobody is above the law,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a July 24 statement. “In New York, we will not tolerate the diversion of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement at the expense of public safety.”
Federal courts rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s challenge to the state mandate. U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino, in a 51-page decision filed Aug. 3, said federal immigration law does not require state or local governments to assist with civil federal immigration enforcement.
After Friday’s visit, Salazar said four detainees had been discharged earlier that morning, which she said could indicate that the facility intends to comply with the new law. Her office said state lawmakers will continue monitoring the facility and working to ensure that state and local resources are not used for ICE enforcement.
“New York has no business helping ICE decimate our communities, jail our neighbors, or rip our families apart. Nassau County’s agreement to jail New Yorkers for ICE is shameful and must end,” Salazar said.
Blakeman defended the county’s cooperation with ICE, saying in a statement sent to News 12 that “over 2,000 illegal migrants with criminal records have been removed from our county making the entire region safer.” He added that state Democrats should explain to victims of violent crimes “why local law enforcement can’t coordinate with ICE in removing these dangerous criminals from our neighborhoods.”
