Immigration advocates and grassroots organizations on Tuesday strongly condemned Nassau County Government Bruce Blakeman’s settlement to coordinate with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) company to deport Caribbean and different immigrants.
On Tuesday, Blakeman introduced what he described because the “first program of its form. ” Nassau County Police will “cross-designate” 10 detectives to work with ICE on focused immigration enforcement.
“Right now, Nassau County Government Bruce Blakeman introduced its settlement with the Trump administration to take part within the 287(g) program wherein Nassau County Police shall be deputized to conduct federal immigration enforcement,” stated Murad Awawdeh, president and chief government officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella immigration advocacy group of over 200 teams in New York.
“Immigrants are an important a part of Lengthy Island’s financial life— making up practically one third of Nassau County’s workforce and one third of its small enterprise house owners, and contributing to the $3.1 billion paid yearly by New York’s immigrants in state and native taxes,” he stated. “However as a substitute of working for an inclusive Nassau County that prioritizes the protection of each resident, County Government Bruce Blakeman is unnecessarily sowing concern and division amongst our immigrant neighbors and degrading the protection of each Lengthy Islander.
“Not solely does Nassau County’s adoption of the 287(g) program undermine public security and exhaust native assets, deploying native legislation enforcement to function immigration enforcement brokers reduces belief within the police and deters immigrants – resembling home violence survivors – from coming ahead when they’re the victims of crime,” Awawdeh continued.
He stated this coverage additionally “allows dangerous racial profiling practices that always places Black and Brown folks in danger, together with US residents.
“This makes us all much less secure,” Awawdeh added. “Blakeman’s assault on Lengthy Island’s immigrant communities is a stark reminder of what’s at stake for all New Yorkers once we enable our native enforcement to collude with ICE.”
Due to this fact, Awawdeh urged New York State Legislature to move the New York For All invoice this 12 months “to maintain New York’s state and native assets from fueling Trump and ICE’s merciless agenda, and to make sure the protection of each New York household.”
Make the Street New York, one other immigration advocacy group, stated that, “Blakeman’s efforts to please the Trump administration by collaborating with ICE
don’t characterize the values of the residents of Nassau County and additional promote concern inside our immigrant communities.
“County Government Blakeman wants to grasp that Nassau County’s immigrant communities make important contributions to our neighborhoods, faculties, church buildings, companies and tradition,” it stated. “Blakeman must cease any collaboration with ICE and Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, and begin specializing in defending all of the folks he was elected to serve.
“We demand that he instantly rescind this settlement and some other collaboration that targets and criminalizes our immigrant Nassau residents,” Make the Street New York added.
Nadia Marin-Molina, co-executive director of Nationwide Day Laborer Organizing Community stated, “Nassau County’s settlement with ICE goes to make each particular person within the county much less secure, because the immigrant neighborhood shall be much less more likely to strategy the police and the federal government to talk out about crime, office violations, and different points.
“New York State must take instant motion to guard everybody within the state by passing NY for All,” she urged.
Nia Adams, vice-chair of the Working Households Celebration, Nassau County Chapter, additionally stated, “Nassau County’s resolution to additional collaborate with ICE is a harmful and divisive coverage that endangers all of our communities, together with however not restricted to immigrant, Black, and working-class households.
“This strategy to public security doesn’t make us safer—it sows concern, undermines belief in legislation enforcement, and perpetuates systemic racism and inequality,” she added. “The Working Households Celebration of Nassau County stands firmly in opposition to this merciless and unjust coverage.
“We consider in a imaginative and prescient of public security that protects and uplifts all folks, no matter immigration standing,” Adams continued. “As a substitute of focusing on our neighbors, we should spend money on actual options resembling reasonably priced housing, healthcare, training, and neighborhood assets. These are the issues that create true security and alternative for everybody.
“We name on our leaders to reject this fascist strategy and stand with immigrant and susceptible communities,” she stated.
Joe Sackman, government director of the Board of Lengthy Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), stated LIPC calls “disgrace on this overreach of presidency provisions happening in Nassau County,” noting that Nassau County is the second county in New York State “to make use of this program of turning native police into ICE brokers.
“As a substitute of utilizing federal funds to assist Lengthy Island households, Blakeman is spreading concern and focusing on migrant New Yorkers who work and pay taxes, treating them as criminals,” Sackman added. “It’s not against the law to need a greater life and to work exhausting to feed your loved ones. No human being is prohibited.”
Blakeman, a robust supporter of President Trump, informed a press convention on Tuesday that Nassau County Police will work with ICE to detain, and ultimately deport, focused undocumented immigrants.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as simply violent criminals, in case you are a prison and you might be right here illegally, then in fact this system will take impact, and we are going to motion,” he stated.
ICE Appearing Deputy Subject Workplace Director Brian Flanagan additionally stated that, “By offering 72-hour mattress area, Nassau County will allow ICE to deal with and switch of doubtless harmful alien offenders.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union famous in a press release on Tuesday that, “Most New York counties don’t associate with ICE for a motive.
“When native legislation enforcement act like ICE brokers, they tackle ICE’s repute and sow deep mistrust inside the neighborhood,” it stated. “Immigrants turn out to be scared to talk to native police and under-report crimes because of concern of deportation – making it more durable for officers to do their jobs and making everybody much less secure.”
Final month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of the District of Columbia, and the New York Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration over its plan to massively increase fast-track deportations and not using a honest authorized course of.
The case, filed within the US District Court docket in Washington, D.C., was filed on behalf of Make the Street New York, which serves Caribbean and different immigrant communities.
“The Trump administration desires to make use of this unlawful coverage to gas its mass deportation agenda and rip communities aside. Increasing expedited removing would give Trump a cheat code to avoid due course of and the Structure, and we’re once more right here to battle it,” stated Anand Balakrishnan, senior workers legal professional with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Venture and lead counsel on this case.
“Individuals dwelling in communities all throughout the US are vulnerable to being separated from their households and expelled from the nation with no authorized recourse,” he added. “That is an assault on communities, our Structure, and basic American values.”
Balakrishnan stated the coverage targets immigrants nationwide who can not show they’ve been within the nation constantly for 2 years or extra.
“Due course of requires they get a good listening to, which this rule strips from them,” he stated. “Beneath this rule, immigrants who’ve been built-in into and contribute to our communities would get much less due course of contesting their deportation than they’d contesting a visitors ticket.”
The lawsuit cites violations of the Fifth Modification’s due course of clause, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Administrative Process Act.
Donna Lieberman, government director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, stated that Trump’s “draconian resolution to fast-track mass deportations violates the elemental proper to a good day in courtroom for tons of of hundreds of individuals.
“This merciless, extremist effort will undoubtedly go away youngsters with out dad and mom, households with out their breadwinners, companies with out staff, and immigrant communities in shambles.
“Immigrants deserve wise, humane insurance policies that carve honest pathways to citizenship — not Trump making horrendous, unlawful assaults on their communities,” Lieberman added.
