The manager of Schmear Bagel & Cafe, in Port Washington, was arrested by ICE agents when he arrived at his work in front of the store on Thursday, June 12, according to an employee to Tricia Lindsay Li.
Fernando Mejía, 41, emigrated from El Salvador about 20 years ago and resides in the United States since then. An employee said he was allegedly arrested to exceed the duration of his visa.
The ICE website has an online database to locate detainees, which indicates that Mejía is being held in a New York city detention center.
Mejía administered the Bars store in the Main Street (main street) of Port Washington, but had also administered the Harbor Deli Too, in Old Shore Road, very close.
A person who knows Mejía, but who asked to remain anonymity, described him as a “good guy,” responsible, worker and who deeply cared about his 14 -year -old daughter.
The employee, who asked to remain in anonymity, said that the arrest of her manager has outraged her. “I’m about to start protesting,” he said.
The Schmear employee said that the main concern with the arrest of Mejía is her recent history of health problems.
He commented that he has recently spent weeks in the hospital for a medical condition and that his family and colleagues were concerned about the attention he would receive in a detention center.
After Mejía’s arrest, ICE agents returned to the store in Port Washington to collect their medications, said the employee.
He added that his family has been informed that he has 5 days to get a lawyer and that they are looking for options.
A campaign was created Gofundme to support Mejía and his family. So far more than $ 22,000 have been raised.
The description of the collection of funds indicates that the money obtained would help your family hire a lawyer, cover legal fees, travel expenses, keep your family and other associated expenses.
Mejía’s arrest occurs in the middle of a wave of activity in Long Island, after the arrest of four people at a Glen Cove train station and the alleged unfair detention of a Brentwood man in Westbury.
Members of the Port Washington community reported that ICE agents were present throughout that Long Island area the day Mejía was arrested, allegedly questioning other people in the area. Mejía was the only person who, according to the neighbors, was arrested.
These actions reflect a national trend, with an increase in reports throughout the United States of people arrested by ICE agents. This is happening especially in Los Angeles, where protests have exploded against these arrests.
Two days after the detention of Mejía, a protest of “no Kings” was carried out in Port Washington, where the protesters chanted their name and shouted: “ICE is not welcome here!”
Shmear employee said the recent arrests have fostered an atmosphere of fear, both in Port Washington and throughout Long Island. He added that many people, such as the workers of their local Westbury store, have stopped going to work for fear.
