Monday, March 17, 2025
Over 100 people stood outside the Nassau County Executive Building to condemn a recent decision by County Executive Bruce Blakeman to deputize 10 county police officers as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
This partnership will also allow ICE to use the Nassau County Correctional Facility for detention.
“Last week, Bruce Blakeman stood with ICE and announced that he had deputized 10 detectives to act as de facto ICE agents,” said Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County New York Civil Liberties Union.
“Deputizing local police officers to act as ICE agents is not in the interest of public safety. It is the exact opposite,” she added. “Multiple academic studies by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division concluded that collaboration with ICE, between police and ICE, sew distrust in public confidence in law enforcement.”
The Valentine’s Day protest also demonstrated love and support for immigrants on Long Island, many of whom are living in fear due to an escalation in ICE activity in their communities.
“There's no reason for the Nassau County Police Department to act as a counterpart to ICE,” said Jessica Greenberg, Immigration Attorney and Legal Director of the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN NY). “There's no reason for the police officers whose job and purpose is to provide public safety to act on ICE's behalf. ICE has no criminal power, it is a civil entity. Keep the Nassau County PD out of ICE. Keep ICE out of the Nassau County PD.”
CARECEN NY held a ‘Know Your Rights’ brief, reminding those in attendance that no matter your immigrant status, you have rights. These rights include a right to remain silent, a right to not open your door to police or other state officials. They emphasized that officials may only come into your home when executing a criminal warrant, not an administrative warrant, which is typically carried by ICE officials.
If you are not documented and ICE asks for your documentation, say ‘I choose to remain silent’ and stay silent. If you are arrested, do not run, argue or resist arrest, but do not sign any documents without an attorney present.
“There isn't any legal mechanism prohibiting ICE from cooperating with the county police department,” said County Legislator Carrié Solages. “So what the county executive did, like so many other issues was just a show. And as a result it’s having a devastating impact in which our immigrant communities, do not want to participate in our community.”
Solages referenced reports of decreases in school attendance, reports of domestic violence and general crime reporting as a result of Blakeman’s statements. “We have less people participating in our society, because now they are living in fear. The effect of what he did now will be devastating to Nassau County.”
Gottehrer called for the passage of the New York for All bill, which is currently in New York state legislature. If passed, the bill will prohibit law enforcement all over New York State from working with ICE.
“We're here today, we're sending the message, ‘Blakeman, you need to do the right thing, you still have time to make it up,’ said Angel Reyes, the Long Island Organizing Coordinator for Make the Road New York, the largest progressive grassroots immigrant-led organization in the state. “There's a lot of people in the [immigrant] community that contact county agencies, social services, the Office of Hispanic Affairs, for important services, and now none of these people are going to contact these agencies. None of these people are going to report crimes to the police because now they feel like if they call the police, they're going to be deported.”
Reyes called on Governor Hochul, along with other state senators and assembly members to pass New York for All and “make sure that the state takes the leadership role in protecting our communities.”
“We are significant contributors to this community, significant contributors to this state, and this state needs to respect and honor immigrants,” said Robert Agyemang, Vice President of Advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition. “We need to pass New York for all. Under no circumstances should the state law enforcement or city law enforcement or municipal law enforcement be colluding with ICE.”
In a Feb. 6 video post to Facebook, Blakeman responded to worries about raids resulting from Nassau County PD’s cooperation with ICE, stating “there will be no stopping of individuals, unless individuals are suspected of committing a crime separate and apart from their immigration status.”
