Demonstrators lined Northern Boulevard in Manhasset on Saturday, Feb. 21, for a rally calling on local and federal officials to cut ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The event, titled “ICE Out for Good: Rally to De-ICE Nassau County,” was held on the northeast corner of Northern Boulevard and Port Washington Boulevard, near the Whole Foods shopping center. A sister protest was held simultaneously on Northern Boulevard and Community Drive, in front of Macy’s.
The rally was organized by several local Democratic clubs, including the Great Neck Democratic Club, the Manhasset Democratic Club, the Albertson/Herricks/New Hyde Park/East Williston/Williston Park Democratic Club and the Port Washington Democratic Club. Organizers emphasized a commitment to nonviolent action and said participants were expected to act lawfully and avoid confrontation.
Julie Appel, a member of the Port Washington Democratic Club, said she felt encouraged by the turnout.
“It’s very heartening to see so many of my neighbors come out and want to protest the injustices,” Appel said. She described concerns about what she called “undemocratic” and “anti-rule of law” actions and said it was important for residents to make their voices heard.
Appel said the North Shore rally was inspired in part by similar efforts on the South Shore.
Among those in attendance was Democratic Assembly candidate Kim Keiserman, who said she was participating as a resident.
“I’m here, really, as a citizen,” Keiserman said. “I think the people of Long Island are looking around at what’s happening across the country and what’s happening here, and they’re seeing that the answer is not mass deporting. The answer is comprehensive immigration reform that offers people a path to citizenship and that fixes our broken immigration system.”
Keiserman criticized what she described as “chaos” and “cruelty” in immigration enforcement.
“We do not want to see masked, unidentified agents coming into our communities and dragging law-abiding, hardworking people out of their homes and out of courtrooms that they have entered in good faith,” she said. “That stokes fear in our communities. It hurts our economy. It undermines law enforcement and public safety. It separates families, it leaves children traumatized and impoverished, and it raises the specter of a police state in the United States.”
State Assembly Member Charles Levine also attended the rally and spoke about his reasons for participating.
“I’m almost 80 years old, and I’ve been through the civil rights movement, and I’ve been through the anti-war movement,” Levine said. “I never thought, or began to imagine, that today I would have to worry about the freedom of my children and my grandchildren. That’s why we are here.”
Levine said, “There is chaos. Trump equals chaos. He seems to thrive or enjoy chaos, and we must do what we can to make sure that the rights of Americans are protected.”
He said he was surprised by the size of the demonstration.
“When I drove here, I thought we’ll see 20 or 30 people. I love these kinds of surprises,” he said.
Students from the Nassau County High School Democrats also participated. Victor Gao, a junior at Jericho High School, said he and fellow student Tony Pan attended to encourage more youth involvement.
“We’re the chairs of Nassau County High School Democrats,” Gao said. “We would just like to see more young people come out to these kind of rallies. We’ve definitely heard a lot of passionate rhetoric in our school about ICE and ‘no kings’ and stuff like that, but we don’t see a lot of high schoolers out here.”
“It’s definitely great,” Gao said of the turnout.
Pan, also a junior at Jericho High School, said it was meaningful to see strong participation on Long Island.
“Especially on Long Island, I feel like there’s more of a conservative aspect to it, but it’s always great to see a bunch of our seniors always showing up,” Pan said. “We just continue to do all of our activism work and hope we just get the message to all those who live here.”
Arlene Levine, a Great Neck resident and member of the Great Neck Democratic Club, said she was motivated by concern over families affected by immigration enforcement.
“What’s going on in the world is just so disappointing and sad to see,” she said. “We’re an educated society, and we should know to care for other people. What’s happening to children and their family is just … This is why we’re here, to support.”
Organizers said the rally was part of a broader push urging members of Congress to oppose funding for ICE and Border Patrol without the reforms they described as serious.
