Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Town Board to draft town-specific public-safety and accountability law for immigration-enforcement events
Summary
Dozens of residents and advocacy groups urged the East Hampton Town Board to put a proposed public-safety and accountability local law on an April work session agenda, asking for clear emergency protocols, police collaboration, and transparency when federal immigration-enforcement actions occur near schools, hospitals or other sensitive sites.
During the public portion of the March 19 meeting, residents and community groups called on the Town Board to draft a town‑specific public‑safety and accountability law to address local responses to federal immigration enforcement actions.
Minerva Perez, executive director of OLA of Eastern Long Island, urged the board to move beyond statements and asked the town to adopt a law that would establish clear roles, require reporting when enforcement occurs near sensitive sites, and create plans for protecting children, schools and health facilities. "This law is fully actionable as it is," Perez said, adding the proposal is meant to improve accountability and public safety rather than to be a sanctuary‑style edict.
Multiple speakers described fear in mixed‑status communities and said the perceived threat of random or warrantless enforcement actions had real consequences: fewer 911 calls, missed school attendance and reduced access to health services. Angie Castillo Chagui, a senior at East Hampton High School, recounted community fear and urged town officials to take proactive steps so residents can "go about... important areas of their life" without fear.
Advocates asked the board to place the proposed law on its April 7 work session agenda and to collaborate with police and town counsel on language. Several callers who identified themselves as Latino community leaders and members of OLA and the town’s Latino Advisory Committee said the measure is designed to clarify how local agencies and first responders should act during federal operations and to preserve public safety and trust.
Speakers emphasized the local, non‑federal nature of the proposals: they urged transparency, documented identification of federal officers by local police, body‑camera documentation and pre‑established emergency plans for schools and care facilities. Some speakers referenced a regional history of ICE raids and a Suffolk County settlement cited in public comment as context for residents’ concerns.
Town board members did not adopt any local law at the March 19 meeting, but multiple speakers asked the board to open a community dialogue and schedule the topic for a forthcoming work session. The March 19 meeting included a broad cross‑section of testimony from nonprofit leaders, residents, students and advisory‑committee members, reflecting high community interest in procedural protections and emergency planning rather than an attempt to obstruct federal authority.
