East Hampton village adopts immigration-related local law; town supervisor schedules May 7 hearing and outlines task force

East Hampton Village's board unanimously approved a new local law on April 22 establishing protocols on federal immigration enforcement activities within village limits, the program reported. The measure adds a new chapter to the village code titled the public safety and federal immigration enforcement law, which supporters say aims to promote transparency and public safety.

Minerva Perez of HOLA of Eastern Long Island, a group that sponsored the village legislation, closed the public hearing by saying, "There's not a line in the sand, I only see a giant circle in the sand around this entire village for the people that live here, work here, and have loved ones here." The broadcast described robust public support at the village hearing.

On the town level, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathy Burke Gonzalez discussed the town's handling of a similar proposal. Gonzalez said town police would not be deputized to work with federal immigration enforcement and that the town would not cooperate with federal agents who lack a judicial warrant: "We're not gonna be deputizing police officers to work with ICE... if there is a federal law enforcement action... and they don't have a judicial warrant, we're not cooperating." She said the town plans to convene a 12-member community task force that includes representatives from the school district, the food pantry, a local Latino business owner, a youth advocate, an immigration attorney, Spanish-speaking case manager Liliana Rodriguez, and Police Officer Daniel Munoz to advise the board.

Gonzalez said the town reconstituted and expanded a Latino advisory committee that now has 22 members and that the draft law was reviewed by the committee multiple times before being noticed for public hearing. She confirmed the town public hearing will be Thursday, May 7 at 6 p.m. at town hall with a call-in option and said letters may be read into the record for people unable to attend in person.

The program did not publish the draft town law text during the segment; it reported the town's procedural steps and the composition of the advisory bodies described by Gonzalez.