A Brentwood man claims he was wrongfully stopped, searched, detained and handcuffed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Westbury on June 3, and his attorney said it is possible that there will be a lawsuit.
Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old electrician who was born, raised and still lives in Brentwood, said he was the passenger in a car on the way to a job site when he was stopped by six unmarked vehicles on Union Avenue in Westbury
Lemus said an ICE agent approached the car and repeatedly asked him for his ID. Lemus said the officers said he looked like somebody they were looking for and when he asked for their name and badge number, they did not provide that information.
Lemus said he was in handcuffs for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, and that he and the other person in the car were not allowed to leave the scene for at least an hour.
Lemus spoke alongside his attorney, Frederick Brewington, on Thursday, June 12, at his law office.
Brewington said ICE has been racially profiling people and that this was a clear instance of that.
“There has been a scourge happening in the communities of color and largely with regard to the communities of our Hispanic brothers and sisters that cannot and should not be allowed, and should not be allowed to continue,” he said.
Brewington said his office is reviewing all legal options. He mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit, although he did not know who it would be against.
Brewington’s office shared two videos from the incident, one recorded by Lemus himself and another recorded by the driver of the car.
Lemus’ two-minute video shows at least two officers approaching the car and repeatedly asking for his ID.
In the video, the officer said to Lemus, “If we don’t get your ID, I’ll have to figure out another way to ID you, and that may not work out well for you. ”
The video then shows the officer reaching into the car and opening the door. The officer then asks Lemus to step out of the car, and the video ends after the officer asks if Lemus has any weapons.
Lemus alleged that the officers forced him to turn his camera off.
He said that after the recording stopped, the officers searched him, took his ID out of his pocket, and handcuffed him.
The other video shows several officers and cars boxing in the car that Lemus was in.
“It felt like my rights were out the window,” Lemus said.
Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly Phil Ramos called the video “disturbing” and said he stood with Lemus.
“It was a clear violation of rights,” Ramos said. “He was stopped without provocation, without explanation, and without a judicial warrant. The only justification offered was that he looked like someone they were looking for. That is not law enforcement, that’s racial profiling.”
Nassau County Police said they were not involved in the incident and declined to comment.
Efforts to receive comment from ICE were unavailing.
Lemus’ allegations come as ICE agents have been reported throughout Nassau County.
A car accident in Westbury on Tuesday, June 10, caused roughly 100 people to protest against the officers. Multiple people were also detained in Glen Cove on Wednesday, June 11, according to the Glen Cove City Police Department.
