ICE encounter outside Patchogue deli raises questions about immigrants' rights
The video, provided to News 12, was recorded Thursday morning outside Caribe Mini Market on East Main Street.
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Cellphone video showing what appear to be Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounding a man outside a Patchogue deli is raising concerns among residents and renewed questions about people’s rights during immigration enforcement encounters.
The video, provided to News 12, was recorded Thursday morning outside Caribe Mini Market on East Main Street. It shows several agents standing around a man on the sidewalk. The footage has since circulated online, prompting reactions from community members who say the scene was unsettling.
“So they’re profiling? Horrible,” said Phil Barnes, a Patchogue resident who viewed the video. Barnes said the encounter reminded him of past experiences with racial profiling and raised fears that other communities are now being targeted.
The manager of Caribe Mini Market told News 12 that the man was not arrested and that he showed documents proving his legal residency. The manager said it remains unclear why the man was stopped.
Patrick Young, a special professor of immigration law at Hofstra Law School, said incidents like this can leave people confused about their rights.
“Don’t talk to ICE. If you do have documents, carry them around with you,” Young said. “But do not allow ICE into your home or into your car unless they have a warrant.”
Young added that while each encounter can be different, he has seen an increase in stops that appear to be based on suspicion rather than a specific cause.
“What we’re seeing here are people who just happened to be out on the streets and ICE is just picking them up,” he said, calling the trend concerning.
Islip Forward, a local ICE community watch group, said the video raises concerns about stops being made without clear justification and warned that encounters like this can leave people feeling targeted.
News 12 reached out to ICE to ask why the man was stopped, but had not received a response as of Thursday night.
