• 2025-11-13 22:17:18
• Gun Violence

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Outraged over recent ICE raids in Westhampton, protestors are planning to gather once again on Friday and raise their voices.

A protest organized by Anita Boyer, "Stand Up For Our Neighbors; ICE Out of Westhampton," will take place Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. at 92 Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach, across from the Westhampton Beach Fire Department.

When asked why she'd organized the events, Boyer quoted Minerva Perez, executive director of OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy organization. Perez, she said, "said it best — our community deserves to be protected by everyone and to say, 'Well, we can't do that,' is not enough. We need strong, brave and vocal leaders who are willing to stand up and protect everyone and not simply follow orders."

Last Friday, waving signs that read, "No Human Is Illegal," "Families Belong Together, Stop Raids!" and "Fire and ICE Do Not Mix!"

Boyer, who also organized last Friday's rally, spoke to Patch after the event: "I am so grateful to everyone who came out to join us, everyone who shared the info, everyone who honked, and someone even brought us coffee!" she said. "We will keep doing it until ICE hears us! We do not approve of you taking our neighbors and family and friends. We do not approve of you using our volunteer fire department as a staging area! That space is for community support — not inciting terror like you do when you come."

She added: "We stand with our immigrant neighbors and will keep showing up because we are better together!"

The protests have followed many outraged residents

Large, unmarked SUVs in dark and silver colors were seen at multiple locations, including 7-Eleven in Westhampton Beach and the King Kullen parking lot in Hampton Bays.

According to Perez, it is believed that about six or seven individuals were detained and arrested in the Hampton Bays area and, possibly, four in Westhampton Beach.

Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan spoke with Patch last week. "ICE did have a presence in the Town on Wednesday," he said.

According to Kiernan, the Southampton Town Police Department "was not aware of the activity prior to it starting but became involved when ICE agents called an ambulance for one of the people arrested that was complaining of difficulty breathing," he said. "It appears as though they came to execute warrants and were out of town by late morning."

Perez confirmed that someone in the Westhampton Beach parking lot was taken to the hospital for treatment, but said the injury was not serious and they were released.

Also on Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded to Patch about who they said was arrested during raids in Westhampton and Hampton Bays Wednesday.

According to an ICE spokesperson, on November 5, "ICE New York City conducted operations targeting known criminal illegal aliens in Westhampton and Hampton Bay, Long Island. ICE officers from the Long Island sub-office arrested 12 illegal aliens, several with criminal convictions and all in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Violating immigration laws is a crime and carries consequences, which includes arrest, detention, and removal from the United States."

Among those arrested, ICE said, were:

• Sergio Gonzalez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was previous removed in 2010 and illegally reentered committing a felony, ICE said. Gonzalez's criminal history includes convictions for robbery and two counts of driving while intoxicated, according to ICE.
• Victor Martinez-Aparicio, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of endangering the welfare of a child, ICE said.
• Alberto Gil-Garcia, an illegal alien from Mexico, was previously removed in 2002 and illegally reentered which is a felony, ICE said. His criminal history includes convictions for assault and harassment, ICE added.
• Victor Hernandez Manual-Sosa, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of driving while intoxicated and multiple charges for larceny, ICE said.

No information or charges were given for the other eight people reportedly detained by ICE and it was not immediately clear if they were charged.

"President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal aliens to walk freely on U.S. streets. ICE will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing alien offenders from the U.S.," an ICE spokesperson said. "Collateral arrests of illegal aliens encountered during targeted enforcement actions are consistent with ICE's mission to uphold the integrity of our immigration system."

OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy organization, asked people to join them and speak out at the Southampton Town board meeting, held at Southampton Town Hall on Wednesday.

At the meeting, a statement from Perez was read: "At the heart of every family is usually a child or an older adult, and we are witnessing firsthand the erosion of everything we knew about public safety from the perspective of children, the elderly, and everyone else," she wrote.

"For 23 years, OLA has worked closely with law enforcement when victims or witnesses of crime needed support to report. We have seen the police act swiftly when they know the perpetrator's whereabouts. They have done a tremendous job keeping Southampton safe. We cannot afford to lose that trust. The idea that another agency — without regard for our municipality's operational structure — can take away our community members without any report or consequences is unacceptable."

She added: "Hearing the phrase 'there's not much we can do' is not enough. We need to know what they can do to fulfill their commitment to public safety. If they can identify those arrested who have criminal records, they should also be able to identify all those arrested who have no criminal history."

And, she said: "A word of caution to us all: If we shout from our glass-walled balconies that we're grateful the offenders were removed, we'd better know that there isn't a single person among us or in our families who is without fault. It's very slippery ground to measure a person's moral integrity with a yardstick none of us can meet. Calls to 911 should never include a pause, for fear that the masked men doing the dirty work are receiving handshakes and welcomes from local authorities."

She added: "If these men are required to wear masks, we need to know if they also work for local East End government agencies with access to data. Where are the written contracts with full names and guarantees? If the fire department leadership didn't want ICE present, where is the subsequent letter denouncing the illegal appropriation of property, in violation of the Tenth Amendment? Why wasn't the entire fire department standing with the peaceful protesters? We can't have two voices and expect good results. We must stand with our community as it is, with all our heart and strength."

The ICE activity has sparked discontent and unease in the bucolic East End communities.

One resident told Patch that parents in the Westhampton Beach area were concerned about students going to and from school in the area of the Mill Road 7-Eleven, which, she said, was "swarmed."

Kristina Gale took the photo above in the King Kullen parking lot in Hampton Bays. "I took this photo because it was a large, unexpected operation in a public place and people were concerned. What bothered me was that none of the agents seemed to show any clear ID — just tactical gear and generic 'Police' patches. Since anyone can buy that online, it's important for the community to know who's actually involved when something this intense happens."

Another resident voiced her thoughts about the ICE activity: "Today my heart was broken, truly broken, to know that ICE was in my community reounding up people," said Marion Boden of Hampton Bays. "My neighbors. People I have grown to love over the years. I saw a video in which two women were scampering like frightened hunted human beings. We are all God's children and deserve to be treated with dignity."

"I'm furious," Boyer wrote. Boyer said she was upset to see the ICE agents organizing at the Hampton Bays Firehouse; in a video provided by Boyer, multiple agents and their vehicles were seen at the firehouse.

"It's horrifying that ICE is here and so unnecessary and wrong," Boyer said. "How is an immigrant or anyone who isn't white-skinned supposed to feel safe calling the fire department now?"