“Stop the raids, stop the hate, immigration makes us great” chants could be heard across the North Hempstead Town Dock on Saturday, Jan. 10, as hundreds of protesters gathered, lifting bags of ice over the edge of the dock and letting them crash to the water, signifying their call for ICE officers to stay away from their communities.
The rally came in response to the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old from Minneapolis who was shot by Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent, while she was driving away from a confrontation. The Trump administration has defended the actions of the ICE agent, saying the officer feared for his life when Good accelerated her vehicle. Minneapolis officials have denounced the use of deadly force and called the shooting unjustified.
The “ICE Out” rally was organized by the Port Washington Rapid Response Network, an organization that aims to prevent or stop federal officials from making arrests by alerting the community of ICE sightings.
Protesters used the rally to voice broader opposition to ICE enforcement. “Our community, our fight, human dignity is our right” could be heard chanted throughout the rally.
Michael Mandel, an immigration lawyer who has lived in Port Washington for over two decades, said ICE’s sole purpose is to destroy.
“We do not want ICE on Long Island, in New York, or anywhere else in this country,” he said. “We will not sit quietly as our families, friends and neighbors are being terrorized by fascists, and we will not be satisfied until ICE is abolished and its funding is redirected to uplift our communities, not tear them down.”
Claudia Orellana, whose immigrant husband Tomas Orellana is being held by ICE in Nassau County, said it is difficult for her to explain to the couple’s eight children the whereabouts of their father.
“It’s so difficult to explain what’s next,” she said.
Orellana said despite her battle with ICE, there is still hope.
“We do have a voice, this is freedom of speech, this is a free country,” she said. “I’m doing this for my husband.”
The family’s attorney spoke at the protest, telling the crowd that they have constitutional rights and that he is fighting for Tomas’ release from ICE custody.
The protest also featured music from local singers, songwriters, and speeches from local figures.
Actor Greg Cioffi read a poem to the sea of protesters called “America on Ice,” which questions the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“The only way to melt ice is with warmth,” he said.
Cioffi said his poem was published a month ago, but that “it already feels outdated.”
One woman, who said she has lived in Port Washington for 15 years after emigrating from Colombia, said she wants people to stop being defined by their differences.
“We belong to one single race, the human race,” she said.
State Assembly Member Charles Lavine, who has been openly opposed to ICE’s presence on Long Island, attended the protest.
