'No Idea Who It Was': Officials Address Alleged ICE Presence At LI Firehouse

BRENTWOOD, NY —Days after the East Brentwood Fire Department revoked Assemb. Phil Ramos' "Honorary Chief" title after he accused fire district personnel of facilitating ICE presence on their property, EBFD Chief Bryant Figueroa joined Suffolk County Legislator Sam Gonzalez to "clear the air."

During the discussion, Figuero said the fire department will not "confirm or deny" if the masked people were ICE agents because "it was just another normal day" on the property. Gonzalez also stated that various officials he spoke to still "have no idea" who the alleged ICE agents reportedly organizing at the Brentwood Fire Department's Broadway location on July 3 really were.

Patch reached out to ICE and the Brentwood Fire Department, but they did not respond as of press time. Patch also reached out to Town of Islip officials, who said, "ICE inquiries should be directed to the Suffolk County PD." SCPD stated that all ICE inquiries should be directed to them.

After the video above allegedly showing ICE agents at the fire department began circulating, El Salvador-born Sen. Monica Martinez addressed the apparent ICE presence at the fire department in a social media post on July 4, writing: "I have received several calls from constituents voicing their concerns in regard to reported presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel at one of the Brentwood firehouses. I reached out to the leadership of the Brentwood Fire District to obtain clarification.

"The fire district leadership confirmed that ICE personnel were present at one of their facilities. However, they assured me that the fire district is not collaborating with or participating in any federal enforcement operations."

On July 6, Brentwood Fire District officials issued a statement viewed by Patch that reads: "The Board of Fire Commissioners and Chiefs of the Brentwood Fire District has been made aware of recent social media posts concerning the presence of individuals reported as being ICE agents at a Brentwood Fire District property.

"The Brentwood Fire District, like all fire districts, does permit public agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to use our parking lots when necessary. However, we wish to clarify that we have no independent knowledge that ICE agents were present at a Brentwood Fire District Substation.

"Furthermore, we were never contacted by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency or any other branch of government regarding the use of any parking lot at any fire district location..."

During the 26-minute video, Gonzalez said officials still "do not know" who the people were.

"I had the opportunity of speaking with the administration at the Brentwood firehouse and they told me clearly that they could not answer if they were federal agents or not. They don’t know if it was the state, if it was the Suffolk County Police Department, if it was the sheriff's office, if it was the deputy sheriffs, if it was the federal government; they can’t say or deny, because they have no idea who it was," Gonzalez said. "And I know that I’ve done my homework, I know that it wasn’t the Suffolk County Police Department, but at the same time, no one can tell me that it was ICE or not."

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While Gonzalez and Figueroa talked, the chief made a point to explain that "most" fire departments are substations for the police department, who may need to do things like "switch out vehicles at the end of shifts."

Figueroa said there’s "always activity at fire departments."

"Just because someone wears a bulletproof vest doesn’t mean that they're ICE. We don’t ask questions; it’s just another normal day," the chief said. "We’re not going to confirm or deny; this is a normal occurrence. It could be town officials, code enforcement, fire marshals, and this is all throughout Suffolk County, all throughout Long Island, probably throughout New York State. Something like that is not uncommon."

In a July 9 interview with Patch, Ahmad Perez, founder of community advocacy group Islip Forward, told Patch that the Brentwood Board of Fire Commissioners "has both the authority and the obligation to end this" because under N.Y. Town Law § 176(19), "commissioners hold exclusive management and control of all fire-district property."

About four minutes into the video, Figueroa recounts his interaction with Ramos when he personally delivered the revocation letter to the assemblyman's Brentwood office, an interaction Ramos also recalled in a statement.

The full discussion can be viewed here on the East Brentwood Fire Department's Facebook page.

Patch reached out to Suffolk County Legislator Sam Gonzalez and the East Brentwood Fire Department, who were not immediately available for comment.