ICE raid in Riverhead nabs 3: ‘Chasing people through woods’

At least three people were arrested by federal immigration agents during an enforcement sweep in Riverhead on Monday, Dec. 29, according to multiple witnesses and local reports.

The ICE activity began around 8 a.m. on East Main Street near Mangano Funeral Home with an arrest of an unidentified man, Riverhead resident Alejandro Dubon Godoy told Tu Prensa Local, a Spanish-language news outlet serving Suffolk County.

“They were chasing people through the woods, like hunting deer,” said Mr. Dubon Godoy, according to RiverheadLocal, which first reported on the raids.

Less than an hour later, Guatemalan native Byron Villavicencio was arrested outside of Oscar’s Deli on Pulaski Street, Tu Prensa Local reported. Mr. Villavicencio works in construction and moved to the United States when he was 15 years old. A relative told Tu Prensa Local he has six children. 

Later in the morning, federal agents boxed in a minivan on Route 58 across from Carl’s Equipment near Applebee’s and took a passenger into custody. The driver was briefly detained and released after presenting identification, Tu Prensa Local reported.

Several others had run-ins with camouflage-wearing agents, including a 15-year-old Riverhead High School student who was briefly stopped while walking from his home to school for track practice, the outlets reported. His sister said “he was visibly scared.”

Federal agents were also observed at the Home Depot parking lot on Route 58, as well as on West Main Street and near the State Police station on Riverleigh Avenue.

A State Police spokesperson confirmed federal agents were in Riverhead on Monday but said state troopers were “not involved in, nor assisting with, any ICE operation.”

The state cops, who are assigned to the Riverside Station, became aware of a disturbance outside their barracks involving a large group of individuals and multiple vehicles obstructing Riverleigh Avenue around 10:45 a.m., New York State Troop L Public Information Officer Trooper Brittany Burton told Riverhead News Review on Tuesday.

“Troopers responded solely to address traffic safety concerns and to restore the orderly flow of vehicles along Riverleigh Avenue,” she said. “As troopers worked to clear the roadway, the federal vehicles temporarily entered the rear parking area of the Riverside Station while waiting for traffic to be safely cleared.”

The vehicles left roughly 15 minutes after roadway access was restored, Ms. Burton said.  

“Following the departure of the federal vehicles, a small group gathered in front of the Riverside Station, expressing concerns about family members reportedly taken into federal custody,” she continued. “A supervising member of the State Police spoke with the group and explained that the New York State Police were not working with ICE, were not involved in the operation, and did not possess information regarding any individuals detained by federal authorities. The individuals were peaceful and dispersed shortly thereafter.”

The raids, which sent shockwaves through Riverhead’s Hispanic population, were done by around noon, witnesses told Tu Prensa Local.

The Riverhead Police Department did not comment on the ICE arrests Tuesday, telling the News Review that Chief Ed Frost was “off today.”

OLA of Eastern Long Island executive director Minerva Perez did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

“We all belong here and we will remain steadfast in our work to reject these raids that only bring fear and uncertainty to our community. This does NOT make our communities safer,” OLA said in a Facebook post Monday night.

“I urge the community to contact OLA for any inquiries, especially those people whose relatives have been detained,” OLA’s legal advisor Erika Padilla told Tu Prensa Local. “Be very careful not to fall into lawyer scams. There are people who want to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable moment. Contact us directly, call us and we will help you.”

For information about legal services or to set up an emergency plan, call OLA at 631-899-3441 or visit olaofeasternlongisland.org/legal-services.