ICE Protest Demands End To Agent Training At LI Rifle Range: Photos

ISLIP, NY — Around 150 people came together over the weekend to rally against ICE's use of a Long Island rifle range after agents were seen training there last month.

Organizers said the "Ice Out of Islip" protest called on the Town of Islip to end its contract with ICE after its agents were seen training at the Town of Islip's Rifle, Pistol and Archery Range on July 16, which they say sparked outrage and fear in the area's immigrant community.

The protest was organized by community advocacy group Islip Forward, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, Together Long Island, Suffolk County Working Families Party, Town of Islip Democrats and the North Islip Democratic Club.

"Our community is not for sale," said Ahmad Perez, Islip Forward's founder, who spoke at the rally. "Every dollar the Town earns from this contract comes at the cost of tearing families apart and destabilizing neighborhoods. This is not who we are and it cannot continue."

Perez said speakers at the rally shared stories of families impacted by ICE enforcement and emphasized the "moral and economic imperative for the town to cut ties with the agency." Attendees urged the Town Board to use its upcoming meeting to vote in favor of ending the agreement once and for all.

Patch reached out to Islip officials, who were not immediately available for comment.

The controversial training at the range on Freeman Avenue happened in the wake of mass deportations of immigrants of various legal status across the United States per the Trump administration's orders.

After the agents were seen training at the town-owned rifle range, elected officials and other organizations spoke out regarding the training session, which, according to documents viewed by Patch, is part of a five-year contract allowing ICE agents to train at the facility.

According to the documents, the contract began on July 1, 2021, runs through June 30, 2026, and cites the Department of Homeland Security as the awarding agency and the Town of Islip as the recipient.

In addition, the "current award amount" is $63,000, with an "outlayed amount" of $22,725.

Organizers say the protest will demand that the town end the contract.

"Rather than protecting its residents, our local government is placing profit over people, aligning itself with agencies responsible for fear, displacement and pain in our community," IF said in a statement.

Assemblyman Phil Ramos and Councilman Jorge Guadrón both issued statements regarding the contact.

While Ramos said he was "deeply disappointed that such a decision was made in a community that proudly holds the highest concentration of Hispanic taxpayers in New York State outside of New York City," he also said that he is "not aware of the full status" of the agreement, and has requested clarification from the town.

Guadrón also took to social media, addressing "increasing rumors" that the town has allowed the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, to use the range "as its operations center."

The councilman said that while the town has allowed ICE to utilize the facility since the early 2000s, it is for "training purposes only" and it is "not where ICE operates."

Like Ramos, Guadrón said he doesn't know the "full extent or details of this agreement" and has also "requested clarifications from the pertinent offices."

The same day, Islip officials issued a statement, saying: "An Important Message from Supervisor Carpenter and the Islip Town Board.

"We would like to clarify some misinformation that has been spreading on social media regarding the Town of Islip’s rifle range. It has been the practice since at least the early 2000s, that the Town of Islip has signed agreements to allow the Department of Homeland Security, which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) falls under, to allow for the use of the town’s rifle range for training, qualification and certification purposes.

"The town’s rifle range is one of the very few such facilities on Long Island and serves a vital role in the training of individuals from law enforcement agencies including but not limited to Nassau County Police, Sheriffs and DA, Fire Island National Seashore, Amtrak, DMV, Suffolk Courts, U.S. Treasury, Farmingdale Police Department and the NYS Park Police. These partnerships help to ensure the safe use of firearms and proper training.

"Those attempting to politicize this matter are unnecessarily causing more distrust of our law enforcement agencies, especially in communities that are already vulnerable and underreporting crimes. The safety and protection of all of our residents, despite race, religion or Country of origin, remains our utmost concern," Town of Islip officials wrote.

The controversy surrounding the rifle range is some of the latest regarding ICE's use of town property, after ICE agents were seen organizing in the Brentwood Fire Department's parking lot of its Broadway location in the predominantly Latino community of Brentwood, located in the Town of Islip.