Dozens rally in support of Glen Cove immigrants a year after ICE surge

Through song and poetry, speeches and prayer, Glen Cove residents rallied Saturday in support of their immigrant neighbors.

More than 75 people gathered in the parking lot of the Glen Street Long Island Rail Road station for the rally, which was organized by the Glen Cove Rapid Response Network. Advocates spoke about the ongoing effect of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and encouraged civic participation as November's election nears. Some held signs saying, "We are all immigrants."

The Glen Cove network is one of several across Long Island whose volunteers head to locations where ICE agents are present to warn those in the area, document what happens and hand out literature that explains people's rights when interacting with agents.

Nabil Azamy, an organizer and member of the network who emceed the event, said the location of the rally was "symbolic" as the site of ICE activity last year when the first surge of enforcement began in Nassau County.

He said immigrants continue to withdraw from public life due to fears of deportation. About one-third of Glen Cove's population is Hispanic, and 29% were born outside the United States, Newsday previously reported.

"We're kind of here to tell our immigrant neighbors: We support you," he said. "We want you to know that you are a member of society here."

Paula Frome, a retired attorney from Glen Cove, said the rally helps support the immigrant community by raising awareness and encouraging people to vote.

"As citizens, that's the way we make our voice heard," she said.

Many who attended brought food supplies that will be distributed to local pantries. Toward the end of the rally, Abigail Cuadra-Chalen, a senior at Glen Cove High School, sang "We Shall Overcome," an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. She encouraged those in the crowd to sing along.

The nationwide mass deportation plan under President Donald Trump that began in January 2025 has been felt across Long Island. Trump has said the deportation effort is about removing violent criminals, although reports have shown many people with no criminal history have been swept up in raids.

Mike White, a member of the Rapid Response Network and Sea Cliff resident, noted that data shows the majority of people detained and deported by ICE are not violent criminals.

"Our position is no member of our community deserves to be terrorized simply for pursuing the American dream," he said.

In late August, Newsday reported how ICE arrests across Long Island had dropped since a winter peak, contrary to the national trend of increased arrests. Heightened community pushback was one of several factors experts said may have contributed to the local decrease.

Nelson Melgar, a family and immigration law attorney, shared his own story of arriving in the United States at 13 years old from Honduras and receiving protection through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. He said his goal at the rally was to remind people what's happening to immigrants and "to put a face to those immigrant neighbors."

A graduate of Glen Cove High School, Melgar, 36, said while he's grateful the DACA policy allowed him to live and work in the United States, it provided no pathway to citizenship. He said he cannot vote and encouraged those in the crowd to do so on his behalf.

"We are all in this together," he said.