Islip Democrats, activists urge town to cancel ICE rifle range contract

Democratic lawmakers and activists have urged the Town of Islip to terminate a contract that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use its rifle range for firearms training.

The arrangement has come under scrutiny in recent days amid reports that ICE agents have detained Long Island residents, including many without prior criminal records and those with only misdemeanor offenses.

ICE agents can use the Rifle, Pistol and Archery Range on Freeman Avenue under a multiyear contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Islip officials said. The federal agency, which encompasses ICE, is among more than a dozen government entities to use the facility, town officials said. That group includes New York State Police, the U.S. Secret Service and personnel from the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. 

Islip Councilman Jorge Guadrón and Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood) said the town should consider terminating the contract. The town should not have a relationship with the agency while ICE conducts sweeps of majority Latino communities in Islip Town, such as Brentwood and North Bay Shore, they said.

"It gives the impression that ICE and the town are in complicity in attacking the immigrant community," Guadrón, the lone Democrat on the GOP-led town board, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Islip's contract with DHS, which the town board approved in 2021, is set to expire next June, town officials said.

"At the time it probably made sense" to approve the contract, said Guadrón, who took office in 2022. "Now it doesn’t make any sense."

Ramos, deputy speaker of the state Assembly, said Islip should "reevaluate" the contract. "What’s different is that in the past, ICE was not terrorizing our community," he said. "They are now."

Representatives for ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter, a Republican, referred questions to town spokeswoman Caroline Smith. Smith cited a statement on the town's website that sought to "counter 'misinformation'" over the contract.

The statement noted that Islip's rifle range is among "very few such facilities on Long Island" and has been made available to DHS staff for at least two decades.

"These partnerships help to ensure the safe use of firearms and proper training," the statement said. "The safety and protection of all of our residents despite race, religion or country of origin remains our utmost concern."

ICE agents used the rifle range 29 times in 2022, 34 times in 2023, 33 times in 2024 and 11 times so far this year, according to documents provided by the town.

During the same period, other DHS staff used the range a total of 11 times in four years, town documents show.

Ahmad Perez, founder and executive director of Islip Forward, a community group that advocates for immigrants' rights, said his members were alarmed about ICE's access to the rifle range. The group monitors ICE detainments in the town.

"This is an injustice, and right now what we’re doing is asking the town to reassess this contract," Perez said in a phone interview. "This is a very real crisis," he said. "It’s really a smack in the face for the people who live here."

Guadrón, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador 44 years ago, said he would seek to terminate the DHS contract. If unsuccessful, he will ask town officials to close the range for a safety review. He cited complaints from residents that firearms shells from the facility have landed in nearby residential properties.

He said he receives four or five reports a week about town residents detained by ICE because "they look Hispanic" or lack a driver’s license.

Referring to ICE's presence in Islip, Guadrón said: "It is prominent, and it is instilling fear in the community." 

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.