Fear, Speculation Simmers About ICE Presence On East End; Officials Respond

EAST END, NY — As protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spark tensions in areas including Los Angeles and New York City, on the East End, speculation has been heating up on social media as residents report what they believe is a heightened ICE presence in bucolic villages and towns.

Long Island is readying for numerous "No Kings" protests Saturday; the events coincide with a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary that falls on Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. June 14 is also Flag Day.

But on social media for the past week, speculation has simmered about whether or not ICE has been seen out on the North Fork, in Riverhead, and in locations on the South Fork.

ICE did not immediately return a request for comment from Patch.

Patch spoke with local officials to determine if there had been ICE presence reported in the area.

"We have no confirmation of any formal ICE activity within our jurisdiction," said East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo. "There have been numerous unfounded rumors which surround social media posts of an Emergency Service Unit, or ESU, team training event in Sag Harbor, and our detective division conducting a routine neighborhood canvass during an active investigation of a crime committed in East Hampton."

He added: "Our detectives work in plain clothes, and identify themselves by name, shield number and agency ID, and our ESU team uses clearly marked vehicles which represent the Sag Harbor and East Hampton Village Police Departments, as well as the EHTPD."

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents, Sarlo said, "are under no obligation to notify local agencies of their activity, and we are attempting to debunk false rumors as quickly and accurately as we can. We understand the concerns; however, we also have an enforcement and investigative function we must continue to perform and cannot always proactively share information regarding our officer's activity, nor can we always confirm or deny federal actions."

Southampton Town Police James Kiernan told Patch: "I have not seen nor do I believe that ICE have been a presence out here any more or less than they have been for years. I don't usually know what cases they are working on, but I haven't had any reports of people being subjected to ICE contact arbitrarily."

Meanwhile, Southold Town Police Chief Steve Grattan told Patch that he believes the speculation is "just rumors. I cannot confirm whether or not ICE has been on the North Fork."

In recent months, a traffic stop on Main Road in Greenport had some residents wondering whether ICE was a presence; Grattan told Patch that the incident reflected a routine seat belt enforcement check.

Speaking with Patch Friday, Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said: "I have no knowledge of ICE being in Riverhead. The incident a couple of days ago was the U.S. Marshal's office looking for somebody on an arrest warrant."

The incident Hubbard referred to involved residents reporting on social media that they believed they had seen an ICE presence downtown in the parking lot of the fire department and near a men's shelter.

Addressing the speculation, Minerva Perez, executive director of the not-for-profit advocacy group Organización Latino Americana, or OLA, of Eastern Long Island, said she has heard "from an extremely reputable source, that there was a targeted immigration action for one person in East Hampton."

Some residents voiced concerns after seeing the equipment used during the ESU training event in Sag Harbor, not realizing that the large equipment they saw was part of a routine training exercise.

To that end, Perez said while the training was routine, "Unfortunately, because of the current reality, any kind of action can easily and understandably be misconstrued unless there is transparency and communication — explaining to the community that the training was not a part of ICE," and that a large tactical unit was not a threat, but used in the training exercise, she said.

Perez said the sense of fear is sparked by a pervasive unease that's present due to the current national climate. "Those fears are reasonable, given what we are seeing" in other areas, she said. "All our towns and villages have to be very transparent aware of any action they are taking and how to communicate that in advance, to assure the community that what's happening is not a part of ICE. It's critical."

Fears are exacerbated by national events with reverberations close to home, she said, adding, "Our safety is devolving."

To that end, OLA is working to set up a "rapid response action plan", utilizing volunteers to document any incidents "safely, non-violently, and calmly" so that those incidents can be verified and rumors can be debunked and an accurate assessment of events gleaned, with a focus on safety.

"We want to document the heck out of everything we see," she said. Perez said she feels it's important to know, if someone is detained, what the exact crimes were for which they were accused. "Was it a violent crime? Was it shoplifting? Was it because someone didn't go to court? A lot of people are afraid to go to court because they are afraid as soon as they step out, they'll be detained."

The objective, she said, is to keep everyone involved safe: "Our goal is not putting anyone in harm's way."