U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to have seized one person on Mosher Avenue in Oneonta last week, according to video and reports.
A video posted to Facebook Thursday, July 23 showed at least three individuals wearing what appeared to be bulletproof vests near a grey Dodge Durango without a front plate on Mosher Avenue. One vest had “ERO POLICE” on the back.
ERO is an acronym for Enforcement and Removal Operations, the division of ICE primarily responsible for arresting and removing individuals from the country.
ICE did not return repeated requests for comment on whether the individuals were ICE employees, what they were there to do or whom they may have taken with them.
Nakia Facey, the owner of Junior’s Jerk Hut, posted the video to the mobile food business’ Facebook page. He said that he saw four unmarked vehicles circling the neighborhood before they stopped. He said they were stopped for about 10 minutes and the agents put one man in the back of the grey Dodge Durango before he started recording.
Facey said he went inside to ensure he had his identification in case the individuals also approached him.
One of the vehicles lacked both front and back license plates, he said. He saw the grey Dodge Durango and a black SUV head toward Interstate 88 when they left. He said he did not know where the other two vehicles headed.
Facey’s video drew public attention quickly. As of press time, it had more than 100,000 views and 3,000 comments on Facebook.
Oneonta Mayor Dan Buttermann said Thursday that the city had received two reports of ICE from Oneonta residents. He said the Oneonta Police Department neither participated in the incident nor were they notified of local operations by ICE.
He issued a statement Friday which stated that “it has been reported that ICE was in our community taking an action and making an arrest. And it has been further reported that at least one person has been arrested and taken away.”
Aga Tinker, New York State Police Troop C spokesperson, said via email Thursday that the video did not depict state troopers and that state police did not respond to that location with ICE.
“ICE doesn’t typically let us know if they’re in the area,” Tinker said.
Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. said via email that the sheriff’s office was “not aware of any activity as described.”
Oneonta Police Chief Christopher Witzenburg and Lt. Eric Berger did not return several requests for comment since last week.
Buttermann said that had ICE requested assistance, “they would have received an unequivocal and immediate no.”
“The Common Council, recognizing the overall value, the good, that immigration brings to our community, passed a strong resolution last year showing our support for immigration,” Buttermann said. “Following that, it has been our policy through the Common Council, myself and our police chief to not willingly participate in any action that ICE may take within our community.”
That resolution, passed unanimously in November under former Mayor Mark Drnek, criticized activities of ICE’s parent department, the Department of Homeland Security. It affirmed “the City of Oneonta’s dedication to the rights and dignity of all people” and condemned the deportation of “law-abiding immigrants.”
The largely symbolic resolution did not mandate any specific policy actions, including any prohibition on city collaboration with ICE.
Buttermann has been critical of ICE through his candidacy and now as mayor.
“The federal administration’s narrative that they’re going to root out violent criminals from across our country is not what is taking place in Oneonta,” Buttermann said. “Instead, when they come into our community, the result is they rip apart families that have come here searching for a better life.”
He said he will continue to support immigrants making a better life in Oneonta “in any way possible that I have as mayor or in any way that I can as a person showing that immigration does us all good.”
Devlin signed a 287(g) collaboration agreement with ICE last fall. The agreement enabled certain correctional officers to be deputized as immigration officers for the purpose of transferring individuals in Otsego County criminal custody with immigration warrants to ICE custody. State Attorney General Letitia James recently sent a letter to Devlin and other local law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements warning that the state’s new Local Cops, Local Crimes law prohibited the agreements.