East Hampton Village bars police from striking ICE cooperation pacts

East Hampton Village on Wednesday became the first government on the East End to ban its police department from cooperating with federal agencies on civil immigration enforcement.

The law, approved by the village board in a 5-0 vote, prohibits village police from entering into Section 287(g) agreements with the Department of Homeland Security. Those agreements allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to partner with local law enforcement on certain immigration enforcement activities.

“It just reinforces what our municipality has always done, and it's basically not to involve our police in civil immigration with ICE,” Mayor Jerry Larsen said in an interview Wednesday. “If the Hispanic community doesn't trust the local police, it could cause all kinds of other problems within our community.”

OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy group, has been lobbying East End municipalities to ban cooperation with ICE since February. The area is home to a large Latino immigrant population and has been the site of ICE raids that OLA says has left many Latinos anxious. East Hampton Town is considering a similar law and has scheduled a hearing for May 7.

“It means a lot that you’re the first municipality to recognize how important this is,” Minerva Perez, OLA’s executive director, told village board members. “Even though it seems like a small thing to other people, it’s not.”

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the bill.

Perez said the law shows the village’s commitment to the “safety and prosperity” of its residents and visitors.

The measure acknowledges the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws. It does not ban village police from cooperating with federal officers in criminal matters or when presented with judicial warrants.

OLA has pitched East End municipalities on a proposal crafted by former Assemb. Fred Thiele, who serves as a board member of the nonprofit. The version adopted by the village is unique. It includes a specific provision banning its police from sharing license plate reader data to aid civil immigration enforcement efforts.

Erika Padilla, a legal advocate with OLA, said during the hearing that the East End has seen a “rise in confusion and fear during federal immigration actions.”

“I would like this law to be passed to restore trust between our residents and the police, and to ensure that East Hampton remains a place where everyone seems safe enough to be part of this wonderful community,” she said.