ICE arrests 10 in Suffolk County

Several East Enders were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a five-day sweep that ended last Friday.

A total of 65 people were arrested under ‘Operation Cross Check’ in New York City and Long Island, according to a news release.

In Suffolk County 10 people were arrested in the towns of Riverhead, Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Greenport, Southold, Shirley, East Patchogue, Bayshore and Brentwood.

ICE Public Affairs Officer Rachael Yong Yow said that all 10 detainees were “reentries,” meaning they had been previously been removed from the country and had reentered without authorization.

Yong Yow said some of the 10 people arrested in Suffolk may have prior criminal records, but was not able to provide specifics, and added that “re-entering” the country without authorization after having been legally removed was a felony offense on its own.

“ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security,” according to the press release.

“However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” and continued “All of those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States. ”

Of the 65 people arrested, 29 individuals from New York City were previously released from local law enforcement custody with an active detainer, officials said.

ICE places detainers on individuals who have been arrested on local criminal charges and for whom ICE possesses probable cause to believe that they are removable from the United States, so that ICE can take custody of the person when he or she is released from local custody, according to ICE’s website.

Immigrant advocates have long argued that local and county officials should only hold individuals when there is a judicial warrant signed by a judge.

“Without equal protection under the law, we create fertile ground for exploitation,” OLA of Eastern Long Island executive director Minerva Perez said in a statement.

Operation Cross Check is at least the third of its kinds conducted by ICE so far this year. In April federal immigration authorities arrested a total of 225 people in New York, the Hudson Valley and Long Island under “Operation Keep Safe New York”— including 21 people on Suffolk County.

“Operations like these will happen sporadically throughout the year,” said Yong Yow. “They usually focus on something specific, like detainer releases, but this is certainly not the first and it won’t be the last.”