Hundreds of protesters marched through Hempstead to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and support immigrants, as part of a regional initiative against the federal crackdown on immigration.
The protest on Saturday, March 7, began at Home Depot, located at 172 Fulton St., and culminated with demonstrations in front of Hempstead City Hall.
“We must oppose the continued criminalization of our immigrant neighbors,” organizers declared before the weekend. The protests continue a wave of opposition to the Trump Administration’s immigration offensive.
The president declared during his Feb. 24 State of the Union address that opening U.S. borders leads to “increased medical expenses, auto insurance rates, rent, taxes and, perhaps most importantly, crime.”
During Trump’s second term in the White House, protests have occurred in Nassau and Suffolk counties, many of which have focused on immigration.
In early March, reports emerged that ICE’s proposed plan to open a detention center in Holtsville was slowed by the city of Brookhaven amid the growth of federal detention centers across the country. The Department of Homeland Security is renting offices in Woodbury for 40 lawyers to operate from.
Civil rights attorney Fred Brewnington criticized Home Depot during the protest, as published reports indicate the department store has been a focus of ICE activity.
Home Depot states on its website that it does not coordinate with federal ICE agents or provide federal access to license plate reader information. “We need to counteract the fascist factors that are taking over our country,” he declared.
Brewington and others led several chants during the protest, including some that said “I say justice, you say now” and “New York for all,” in reference to a state bill that limited the power of immigration agents.
Susan Gottehrer, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union of Nassau County, expressed outrage at the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown and blamed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for the presence of ICE in this Long Island county. “This county and Nassau County have become unrecognizable,” he declared.
David Chapman, a member of the Port Washington Rapid Response Network, shared his experience of being arrested after protesting ICE in October 2025. “I am doing this because I oppose a repressive government that is building concentration camps against the United States,” he stated.
Chapman called ICE agents “thugs” and said people will not tolerate the federal government’s immigration enforcement.
Hazel Leon, a Freeport resident and founder of Así Vamos NY, stated that people in Hempstead and throughout Nassau County have been racially discriminated against and that her organization advocates for people’s protection and due process. “Only the people save the people,” he stated.
The youngest speaker at the Hempstead rally was Hailey Ramos, 13, also from Hempstead. He read an essay he wrote about how recent immigration measures have affected children and their perception of the country, as well as daily life.
Hailey referred to children’s fear of going to school, their fear of their parents, and denouncing a system that, according to her, dehumanizes and scapegoats Hispanics. “My community is not invisible and I will always defend the truth, even if I have to do it sitting down,” he said.
Hailey received a loud ovation, which continued with the chants, whistles, and general volume of the demonstration.
Other protests on Long Island reportedly occurred over the weekend in the Brentwood, Huntington and Riverhead areas.
