Elected officials in Queens demand that the operators of the Bulova Corporate Center prevent ICE agents from using the complex’s parking lot as a staging point before conducting immigration operations in the surrounding area.
Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas and other local officials, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, say they have not yet received a direct response to the letters they sent to the center’s administration to raise their concerns.
The mixed-use complex, located at 75-20 Astoria Blvd. in East Elmhurst and a short distance from LaGuardia Airport, would have allowed immigration agents to concentrate their vehicles there before conducting raids and arrests in nearby areas.
The former watch factory building currently houses government offices, private offices and businesses open to the public, which has raised concerns among elected officials and community members alike.
In a first letter, dated September 1, officials asked Edward Blumenfeld, president of Blumenfeld Development Group, to prohibit ICE from using the facilities for its immigration enforcement operations.
“We do not know what the circumstances are surrounding the presence of ICE on the property or whether Bulova management has authorized or facilitated the use of the parking lot in this manner. We are contacting you due to the seriousness of what is occurring in our communities,” part of the letter states. “Over the past few weeks, we have seen a sharp increase in immigration enforcement operations across New York City, with immigrant families increasingly facing arrests, surveillance, and the threat of being separated from family members in their own neighborhoods. Our communities are experiencing an unprecedented level of fear as ICE has stepped up its presence in Queens, particularly in East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.”
Our sister publication, amNewYork, has reached out to Bulova Corporate Center management for comment and is awaiting a response.
The claim comes as amNewYork has reported a sharp increase in ICE sightings and arrests across the city, especially in Queens. Recently, an ICE agent was seen in East Elmhurst pointing a firearm at a man who was recording him.
The incident occurred in September on 24th Avenue, between 97th and 98th Streets. A video obtained by amNewYork apparently shows the armed individual inside a vehicle pulling out a gun equipped with a mounted flashlight and pointing it at a man who was recording him with his cell phone.
Sources familiar with the case said ICE agents were seen this morning in Elmhurst, with vehicles parked in the vicinity of 94th Street and Corona Avenue.
Elected officials say Bulova’s response to their letter did not address their concerns about using the parking lot as a rally point. Instead, Blumenfeld responded that “ICE does not have an office in the Bulova Corporate Center.”
González-Rojas said that response was not satisfactory.
“Blumenfeld Development Group has a responsibility to ensure that their property is not used as a concentration point for ICE operations in our communities. We asked them to take a clear and concrete action: prevent ICE from using their parking lot to concentrate their vehicles. Instead of responding to that request, they evaded questions and avoided taking responsibility for what is happening on their property,” González-Rojas said. “Immigrant families in Queens should not have to see ICE vehicles gathered outside a local business and wonder what is about to happen to their neighbors and loved ones. Bulova should do the right thing and ban ICE from using their parking lot as a rally point. I am proud to stand alongside allies at all levels of government to protect our immigrant communities and demand accountability.”
Now, elected officials are again demanding a direct answer on whether Blumenfeld Development Group allows ICE to use the parking lot as a staging point and, if so, to end the practice.
Officials said they are willing to work with Blumenfeld to find a solution.
