Curran allowing ICE agents to remain in trailer at jail for now

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said Monday that officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency could remain for the time being at a trailer at the county's jail in East Meadow while she reviews the agency's proposal for permanent quarters on jail grounds. 

The announcement was the latest twist in a controversy over where to house six agents from ICE's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. County officials originally asked them to leave without offering them a new location, but then said last week they could relocate to the neighboring Nassau University Medical Center.

Late last year, county officials, citing an appellate court ruling from last November that overturned a Suffolk policy for detaining individuals under federal warrants, gave ICE until Jan. 31 to vacate the trailer.

Law enforcement union officials protested moving ICE from the jail. Civil liberty activists objected to placing ICE agents on hospital grounds. They said they worried that patients would fear getting arrested and stop going to the hospital, which treats many patients who are uninsured or low-income.

With the federal government reopened, Curran said in a statement Monday afternoon that she was able to speak with ICE officials "about their plan for a more permanent location. We agreed that personnel will remain at their current location in the trailer at the jail, pending their proposal for a new trailer away from the visitors’ center."

Curran said she will meet with groups in the community to hear their concerns.

She said she phoned ICE "based on the concerns I’ve heard over the past few days about ICE using a temporary location at one of NUMC’s extra buildings  . . . Community groups contacted me to say the move might impact access to health care. There have been no deportation incidents in NUMC’s history — and I was confident the temporary field office’s location was separate and apart from patients and visitors. However, I want to ensure that our immigrant community knows they can use NUMC without any worries."

Earlier Monday, union officials and lawmakers expressed concern about Curran's handling of the matter during a public safety committee meeting and subsequent legislative meeting.

Legislators questioned county officials, including Sheriff Vera Fludd and Commissioner Patrick Ryder. Ryder said that much of the issue was a matter of "perception." Community members "are in fear to come visit" the jail, he said.

"As of this morning, discussions are still being had as to where we can house them," Ryder said. "The last thing I want, or the county executive wants, is a criminal walking out documented, or undocumented, of that jail and going back into my streets." He said that's because if the suspected criminal walks out, and there is no detainer, it would involve ICE agents searching a community and knocking on doors and could lead to someone living in the country illegally being picked up, Ryder said.

"We're trying to stop it at the gate and get it there," he said.

"It's a complicated issue, it's not that simple," Ryder told legislators. "Nothing is a lock . . . It's very fluid."

"We're trying to protect both sides here . . . we're trying to work out something that works for everybody," he said Monday morning.

But Brian Sullivan, president of Nassau's Correction Officers Benevolent Association, told lawmakers Monday: "ICE did not have a trailer out in front of the visitors unit that in blinking neon lights said, 'ICE is here, ICE is here.'"

"Why don't we just get over it? This was a screw-up. Let's hit the reset button," Sullivan said.

Some local residents said they wanted ICE to remain at the jail.

“Why do it now, what’s the reason?" asked Paul Stargot of East Meadow. "What’s wrong with an extra layer of security when you need the security in this day and age?"

Warren Kalmenson, of East Meadow, said, "They exist for a specific reason and they should be recognized and honored for the work they do for all of us in society." 

The issue had drawn scrutiny from President Donald Trump. Speaking at the White House last Wednesday, Trump did not mention Nassau County or Curran by name, but mentioned the controversy.

“I see on Long Island they don’t want ICE, the radical Democrats don’t want ICE there because they’re too good, they’re doing too good of a job,” Trump said. “And I always talk about Long Island, that’s one of the real hotbeds for the MS-13 gangs and I’ve just seen this morning where the really radical Democrats don’t want them [ICE] there because they don’t want them to do anything to disturb MS-13.”

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler covers Nassau County government and politics for Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.