Outrage Over ICE Arrest on Long Island
The Long Island Democratic Party is expressing outrage after footage surfaced showing an ICE officer violently slamming a handcuffed detainee’s head against a brick wall during an arrest last month.
Isai Santos-Caceras, 35, was reportedly resisting arrest when he was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, one of whom appeared to show clear frustration.
Activists from Islip Forward shared video footage online that captures Santos-Caceras yelling about an agent trying to trip him before being forcefully pushed into a wall at a supermarket in Hempstead Village.
In response, the activists stated, “The agent used [Caceras’] head like a battering ram against the wall. This is not normal.”
Nassau County Councilwoman Viviana Russell criticized both the agency and County Executive Bruce Blakeman for their controversial collaboration between ICE and local municipalities.
“When people with minimal training are equipped with firearms and sent into our communities, serious problems can arise,” Russell remarked.
“It’s unacceptable for a handcuffed man to have his head smashed against a brick wall, leaving bystanders to deal with the medical fallout,” said the Democratic Party, highlighting larger issues of training and accountability within the agency. “Our community deserves better,” she added.
Details around Mr. Casellas’ detention remain vague. Public records and activists indicate he has no criminal history and is legally allowed to work in the U.S.
Critics suggest this incident is part of a troubling trend of escalating aggression from ICE, particularly following several fatal shootings involving the agency.
Locally, Democrats and anti-ICE advocates describe this as yet another embarrassment in the already contentious partnership between Nassau County and ICE.
The Nassau program has faced accusations of failing to adequately feed ICE detainees, providing questionable drinking and shower water, and restricting immigrants’ access to phone calls and legal assistance, according to statements from the state Democratic Party and the New York City Legal Aid Society.
County officials have previously contested these claims.
Neither Blakeman nor ICE has commented on the matter.
Long Island Representative Laura Gillen, a Democrat who previously supported increased funding for ICE, has criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, labeling ICE’s tactics as overreaching.
“Secretary Noem’s management at DHS has led to chaos in our community,” Gillen stated. “She needs to be fired or impeached for proper order to be restored and a thorough investigation to be conducted.”
