On October 14, the government of Nassau County announced a special agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain approximately 3,000 undocumented immigrants within the county this year. ICE will be leasing up to 50 prison cells at the “East Meadow” facility in the county at a rate of $195 per night and will collaborate closely with the county police.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stated in a press release: “Every community, especially the Hispanic community in Nassau County, supports our partnership with ICE to make their neighborhoods safer and alleviate the burden on schools.” Blakeman emphasized earlier this year when announcing the agreement that it not only provides local detention space but also assigns 10 county police officers to receive federal training and grants them unprecedented authority to detain immigrants without arrest warrants. He also noted that this move can help combat “illegal activities such as fentanyl that harm young people.”
The county announced that the 10 detectives have completed training by ICE but have not been called upon or deployed to assist in joint operations thus far. Despite this, the county government claimed in July that the partnership has been effective, with around 1,400 immigrants already detained at that time. According to the latest statistics, the number of detainees has increased to 2,188 and is still rising. The county reported that an average of about 274 immigrants are detained each month, with June being the busiest month at 437 detainees; 380 in April, and 363 in August.
This comprehensive cooperation with ICE, referred to by the county as the first “complete 287(g) agreement” in the United States, has raised concerns among communities and immigrant rights groups about strengthening immigration enforcement. Critics argue that local law enforcement aligning with federal immigration enforcement could lead to increased mistrust in immigrant communities and possibly deter undocumented individuals from reporting crimes or seeking medical and social services out of fear of being detained.
Further information on the treatment of detainees, detention conditions, and related judicial procedures will be disclosed by the county when necessary.