MONTICELLO, NY — Public comment at the Oct. 9 Sullivan County Legislature Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee meeting urged the legislature to be welcoming to immigrants. Several passionate remarks focused on the fabric of the community, persistent violence under immigration enforcement and empty businesses as a result of the county allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Sullivan County.

Sandy Oxford, a resident and activist, along with several community members, spoke to the board about their grievances.

She said, “[This month] is el ‘mes de la herencia.’” Translation: This is the month of Hispanic heritage. She continued, “Speaking on that, there is nothing on the county website about [Hispanic Heritage Month].”

“I’m not advocating against removing criminals—documented or undocumented. I just don’t want to be detained while on my lunch [working in Albany] because of the way I look,” she said. She added that while “scrolling through social media,” she would see “mass ICE agent [raids].”

Oxford questioned the board, which she said is the “cornerstone of public trust,” calling the enforcement a bad use of resources. She mentioned wage theft and labor trafficking in New York. She also pointed out that “one in five [residents] are Latino in Sullivan County,” many of whom are “mixed-status families.”

Oxford noted that were Sullivan County to join local policy 287(g), a partnership model agreement by which local law enforcement can cooperate with ICE, that cooperation “undermines the public good.” Two constables in neighboring Wayne County, PA signed 287(g) partnerships in the spring; see riverreporter.com/stories/constables,219925 for more. As of this date, they are the only law enforcement entities in the Upper Delaware region with recorded  287(g) partnerships, according to information on ICE’s website. 

Oxford said she is thankful for the hiring of a “victim service person,” but also stated that deportations triggered by probation “shifts who goes into the prison system,” adding that “Sullivan County is fourth in the state for sending youth to the system.”

District Attorney Brian Conaty announced in September the hiring of Jade Corelli to the position of District Attorney’s Crime Victim Specialist Coordinator. Corelli will help connect victims to resources such as counseling, crisis intervention, safety planning and restitution resources. According to NPR, the largest share of people identified for deportation come as referrals from local arrests. 

She ended her comments by suggesting that, for public safety, the county instead create a municipal ID program “so we know who is who.”

A business owner and the 2012 president of Somos la Llavez del Futuro stressed the need to be welcoming to immigrants in the county. They noted that businesses in Liberty and Monticello have been left empty and that people are afraid to go to Walmart; instead, they are traveling to Middletown as the situation continues.

Evan Perez pointed to his Puerto Rican heritage and acknowledged that of legislator  Luis Alvarez. He urged the legislature to “step up” and asked whether they truly represented the Constitution.

“If we don’t stand up—if we don’t stand up for the process—you may think the process might not affect me, but [law enforcement] may pick me up because I have ‘a little accent,’” he said, commenting on racial profiling and due process.

Student and business owner Porfirio Vega told the board that detaining minor children “damages the very fabric of our community, undermines our economy and violates our values.”

Alvarez acknowledged the public comment, saying, “Gracias a la comunidad Latina.”