Despite the City of Peekskill Police Department saying they will not be assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on raids unless there is a court warrant signed by a judge, federal agents allegedly were spotted in Peekskill yesterday afternoon (Jan. 28) at Walgreens.
A prominent Peekskill business owner who is part of an ad hoc network sharing information about potential local ICE activity in the city told the Herald on Tuesday, Jan. 28, that they heard about an ICE raid that same day at Walgreens. However, Peekskill Police Lt. Adam Renwick told Peekskill Herald, “We are not aware of any ICE activity occurring in the city of Peekskill yesterday [Jan. 28].” Peekskill Herald could not confirm which type of agents might have been there.
Referring to recent ICE raids in other Hudson Valley localities, the business owner said, “Nobody will go to work, kids won’t go to school, and families fear being separated. It’s causing major problems.”
The owner continued that, “We have reason to believe that ICE shows up in black Suburban vehicles and rented coach buses. Our informal network is keeping an eye out for these things and telling everybody what happens.”
The owner said their company’s staff is well prepared in the event of an ICE raid, even though nobody in the company is vulnerable. “I just trained my whole team how to deal with an ICE raid and how to tell if warrants are real. We have information that ICE is using fake warrants in some cases that are not signed by a judge. ICE does illegal things like that, and asking people to separate into groups regardless of their legal status, so people need to know they don’t have to do that.”
The owner emphasized that anyone learning of ICE raids spread the word immediately through social media and elsewhere.
At a Peekskill Democratic City Committee meeting on Jan. 23, Mayor Vivian McKenzie said the City of Peekskill Police Department will not be assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on raids unless there is a court warrant.
“I know in the past week that man [Trump] has made some changes and is trying to change those different things,” McKenzie said. “But for right now, it’s important that our population know that if it’s a warrant that is signed by a judge and that person is in their home, that person should come out, therefore ICE does not come into their home.” (If ICE enters a house and finds other undocumented persons, then they might also be at risk of deportation).
Mayor Vivian McKenzie displaying a form for parents to designate a guardian in the event they are deported, as well as a “know your rights” card at the Peekskill Democratic City Committee on Thursday, Jan. 23.
As for if it’s a warrant that is only an ICE warrant, those people can ask ICE to put it underneath the door.
“Our police department is not going to be working with ICE unless it is a criminal and there is a court warrant,” McKenzie said. “So we don’t need to worry about that.”
However, McKenzie still stressed the importance of undocumented persons protecting their children in the event there are deportations.
“We have a lot of children who go to school every day and they’re scared that they may not come home to parents or when they get off of the bus, their parents may not be there,” she said.
Immigration was the focus of a stakeholders meeting that McKenzie attended on Jan. 16 at the Peekskill City School District. Attending the meeting were Cynthia Knox of Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill, Pastor Valerie Paul-Greenaway of the United Methodist Church, and Dr. David Mauricio of the Peekskill City School District.
They spoke about a form from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services designating a guardian for a child in the event an undocumented parent is deported.
McKenzie brought attention to the form at the Peekskill Democratic meeting, as well as at a Committee of the Whole meeting at City Hall on Jan. 21. When the form is signed and notarized, it will be given to the school district to have on file. (The Field Library in Peekskill provides free notary services, Monday through Friday).
“Should a parent be arrested, then the school district will have someone that the parent has designated as where that child can go,” McKenzie said. “Because if they do not have this, their next step is CPS [Child Protective Services].”
At the stakeholders meeting at the school district, several red cards were handed out informing people what their rights are when it comes to the difference between a warrant that comes from a judge and a warrant that comes from ICE.
McKenzie has asked the city to carry the state form. The city is also asking churches, organizations, and the school district to carry the forms. She also said it was important to approach people in person to make sure they have the information in their hands.
According to a weekly newsletter from Dr. Mauricio last Friday, New York State school superintendents received a joint letter from the New York State Attorney General, Governor and Commissioner of Education offices outlining actions that a school district must follow to safeguard children in their care.
Mauricio said additional resources are available on the Neighbor’s Link website.
A spokesperson for the school district said the New York State guardian form is available to any parent and accessible in a variety of languages. You can select your language or scroll down to find it. Parents can also pick up paper copies at the district’s Parent Resource Center.
