The Riverhead Police Department will not get involved in immigration enforcement and related issues, which are “purely federal functions and are administered by federal agencies.” Riverhead Town Supervisor and Police Commissioner Tim Hubbard said in a statement issued this afternoon.
“It is and has been the policy of the Riverhead Police Department that police personnel will not stop, question and/or interrogate or investigate, or arrest persons based solely on suspected immigration or citizenship status and will not detain any individual for suspected civil violations, federal immigration laws or a related civil warrant,” Hubbard said in the statement.
“Such investigations or actions are federal functions and will be pursued by relevant federal agencies,” he said . “Consistent with established policy, an arrestee will not be detained pursuant to a detainer request or administrative warrant and detention for criminal immigration violations shall only occur pursuant to a duly issued judicial warrant,” he said.
The Riverhead Police Department may field requests for local agency assistance in connection with federal immigration operations within the town, the statement said.
“Such assistance, consistent with policy, would be limited in scope to support services such as traffic control or peacekeeping efforts,” Hubbard said.
The police department enforces state and local laws and is tasked with maintaining public safety, he said.
Hubbard is a retired Riverhead Police detective who had a 32-year career with the town police force. He was elected to a town council position in 2015 and in 2023 was elected town supervisor. As town supervisor he also serves as police commissioner.
“In sum, while recent federal executive actions have directed greater or enhanced enforcement of certain federal immigration laws, those enforcement efforts remain federal agency functions,” Hubbard said.
“The Town Police policies described above are consistent with federal and state laws and it is not the Town’s intention to alter such policies in response to recent Federal Executive actions,” Hubbard said.
“The Riverhead Town Police Department strives to provide professional services to the community and maintain equal treatment and equal enforcement of the law to the community,” the supervisor concluded.
Hubbard’s statement follows a letter to the community yesterday by the Riverhead Central School District, which said that it will strictly adhere to New York State guidance that “immigration enforcement actions cannot occur on school grounds without proper legal documentation.” That statement came after the Trump administration announced it was ending a ban in place since 2011 against federal immigration agencies making arrests at schools, churches and hospitals.
Alek Lewis contributed to this story.
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