ICE van presence in Suffolk precinct parking lot sets off fear, but police say lot not used as 'staging area' for arrests

The presence of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement van in the parking lot of the Suffolk police Second Precinct last week has set off fear among the Huntington Latino community, even as police officials say they don't collaborate with the agency in arresting immigrants and the van was there due to mechanical problems. 

Activist Osman Canales said he went to the precinct lot Sunday after getting reports of ICE vans being there. He filmed the vehicle and three others departing from the lot and posted it on his Facebook page. 

"Shame on you ... for separating families!" Canales shouted as two white vehicles — an SUV and a van — left the lot, followed by two unmarked cars, according to the video.

Suffolk County police said ICE agents only stopped there due to a problem with their vehicle.

"ICE agents recently used the Second Precinct parking lot because their vehicle had a mechanical issue and [it was] not a staging area," the department said in a statement. "Misinformation being spread unnecessarily creates fear and ultimately harms the community we are working to protect."

The department added it "does not and will not participate in immigration enforcement. Our officers do not ask about the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses, or anyone seeking police assistance."

"However, the department will assist our federal law enforcement partners in criminal matters, peacekeeping efforts and traffic control support," the statement said.

The controversy is emblematic of the tension surrounding President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, as Latino communities on Long Island and throughout the country hunker down and remain on the lookout for ICE agents. Activists like Canales warn of their presence on social media and protests — as recently as last month in Hampton Bays — have erupted in communities where residents say they don't want ICE coming in.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment. Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine declined to comment.

Suffolk County has taken a different approach on Trump’s anti-immigration offensive from Nassau, where County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said the county will hand over immigrants who are here illegally to ICE. Its police department has signed a 287(g) agreement allowing 10 of its officers to be deputized as ICE agents. 

Suffolk has not signed such an agreement.

Trump says he is targeting dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally. But activists contend many of the people detained and deported have no criminal record or have committed minor offenses like traffic violations.

Activists said they plan to protest at the Second Precinct on Saturday.

"Our local infrastructure should not be staging grounds for these harmful military-grade operations that have been doing nothing but separating innocent families," said Ahmad Perez, a leader of Islip Forward, an activist group that advocates for immigrant rights.

He added the ICE activity at police precincts will make many immigrants "hesitant of reporting crimes. ... How can you say you are protecting us when you are in fact enabling" ICE operations?

In June, activists and Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood) criticized the Brentwood Fire Department for allowing ICE to use its parking lot.

"It boggles the mind that they would choose to make their firehouses places of fear, rather than places that welcome and protect immigrant families," Ramos, a former Suffolk County Police Department detective, said at the time, according to a Newsday story.

Fire department officials said both local and federal law enforcement often use fire department parking lots while firefighters are on duty. Fire departments do not work for or with ICE, they said, and have no control over which law enforcement agencies use their property or for how long.