Riverhead should look to our founding principles and adopt OLA’s public safety law

An open letter to the citizens of Riverhead,

There was a time, when I was younger, when I believed that America was the greatest nation in the world. When I believed that not only could we make “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” real, but that with these tenets we could inspire billions across the globe to do the same. I was undoubtedly and unequivocally proud.

But I am older now and my naive sense of country has long since given way to reality. The truths of “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” remain self-evident as ever. And that is exactly what makes me so angry today. 250 years after our founding, our federal government has turned on its own people, declaring human beings as its greatest enemy. Since Donald J. Trump became the 47th president in our nation’s history, over 400,000 immigrants have been arrested. Uniquely, this administration has gone after community members with furious pace, with community arrests exceeding all other forms between June 2025 and March of this year. ICE has been shown, through research, to arrest immigrants with zero criminal record by a share of 70% during multiple periods. And still more appalling is the fact that those with minor convictions get deported without trial. To make matters even worse, ICE now intends to arrest 2,000 humans per day nationally.

On July 7, 2026, 250 years and three days since our nation’s birth, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was murdered by ICE. Stopped by agents looking for different people, the loving father, who was in the middle of applying for a work permit, allegedly attempted to drive away and was shot; he later died from his wound.

What is “life” if it can be taken away by an armed government? What is “liberty” if you are questioned because of the color of your skin and status? What is the “pursuit of happiness” if you must live your life in fear?

By now, you may be asking, “What can we do?” Well, Riverhead, I have a first step. The Organización Latino Americana (OLA) has created a local measure that, if passed, would alert our town if ICE is here and what they are doing. It is a humble yet key first step in monitoring this federal force on the East End. Our republic is far greater than just our president. Our republic begins right here at the local Town Hall and the order we deem ethical.

This isn’t about whether or not you “support… the rule of law.” This is about defending everyone’s right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Oliver Earl
Riverhead