ICE Sightings Reported in the Hudson Valley: A Timeline
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were spotted wandering around neighborhoods in the Hudson Valley as recently as mid-July.
President Trump announced in July that ICE would be conducting a nationwide mass arrest of migrant families that received final deportation orders, in order to discourage Central American migrants from crossing the southern border.
While the final list had 2,100 families on it, the Washington Post reported that only 18 individuals were arrested.
Around the time of Trump’s announcement, Newburgh and Kingston residents reported agents from ICE patrolling neighborhoods and knocking on doors.
“As long as we know our rights, we should be able to fight back,” said Vanessa Cid to Mid Hudson News. “As long as we know we are not criminals, we can stand up for ourselves.”
In response to the sightings of ICE agents in the community, the City of Kingston Facebook page posted flyers in English and Spanish advising residents of what to do if an immigration agent were to stop them in public.
The poster provides residents with tips to remain silent with the exception of providing a name, to record the encounter and report it, to not sharing any information about loved ones, and to not let the ICE agent follow the individual home to pick up an ID.
The post received 54 shares, and while many Facebook users expressed negative reactions towards the poster, some provided additional advice in the comments section.
One user wrote, “Isolate ICE agents. Ask for their picture ID. Take a photo of it. Post it and their home address on social media. Make it impossible to do their jobs. Make their lives hell.”
Prior to the announcement of the July crackdown, ICE arrested 31 individuals during a 5-day enforcement surge in May throughout New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. The campaign focused on individuals ordered to be removed from the country with criminal convictions or pending charges, as stated in an ICE press release. Arrests were made in several cities located in the Hudson Valley, including New Paltz, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie.
“With the misinformation and misrepresentation about ICE, we continue to focus of the truth of our priority, which is to target and arrest criminal aliens to remove them off the streets in the interest of public safety.” stated Thomas R. Decker, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York.
ICE ERO reported 758 arrests from January to March in the New York City region, which includes the five New York City boroughs as well as Dutchess, Nassau, Putnam, Suffolk, Sullivan, Orange, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties. The report also showed there were 670 removals conducted in this region.
Nathalie R. Asher, ICE Executive Associate Director, stated in the release that, nationally, more than 85 percent of those arrested received criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. Asher further stated that arrests over the first two quarters of FY19 are down by 14 percent when compared to the same period in FY18.
“The agency is dedicated to using its authorities to enforce U.S. immigration laws,” said Asher, “and ICE officers will continue to conduct enforcement humanely, respectfully and with professionalism.”
Featured image credit: Pixabay, via Pexels
