Hundreds rally outside Nassau jail in response to Minneapolis ICE-shooting; wife of detained Great Neck man speaks out
Speakers at Thursday’s protest shared personal stories and called for accountability and due process in immigration enforcement.
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Hundreds of protesters marched from Salisbury Park to the Nassau County Correctional Center Thursday night, calling for accountability from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The rally came one day after an ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis and amid reports of increased ICE activity across Long Island. Protesters gathered outside the jail as police stood on the opposite side of the fence. Inside the facility was Tomas Orellana, a Salvadorian native who, according to his family, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in at the Mineola courts on Monday.
Orellana had been granted Temporary Protected Status, which allows individuals from designated countries to live and work legally in the United States. His wife, Claudia Orellana, said her husband has lived with their family in Great Neck for more than 25 years. She is a U.S. citizen.
“Without him, it’s going to be very devastating emotionally, physically for the kids,” she said. “I have a 6-year-old. I have eight boys that I have to fight for my husband.”
According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, Orellana was charged with driving while intoxicated in March 2023. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation. His attorney, Byron Quintanilla, said Orellana has no other prior arrests.
“He was in his own driveway and his own home, and the police officer knocked on his window,” Quintanilla said. “He is not a danger to society and he is not a danger to the community.”
Speakers at Thursday’s protest shared personal stories and called for accountability and due process in immigration enforcement.
News 12 reached out to ICE for additional information about Orellana’s case but had not received a response as of Thursday night.
