Mass deportation prompts social justice, faith groups to protest at 3 Long Island Congressional district offices

About 100 faith leaders, social justice advocates and others rallied simultaneously at three Long Island congressional offices Thursday, frustrated over what they said was their inability to meet with the three representatives to discuss the mass deportation of immigrants in the country illegally.

During the rally outside the Garden City office of Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre), several of the 20 attendees read portions of the four-page letter — signed by 216 faith leaders from across the Island — in which they forcefully condemned the deportation.

"As people of faith, we denounce, we condemn, the current United States mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, many of whom have fled extreme violence and poverty in their native lands," it read in part, prompting them to heed the calls of parents and "children [who] now tremble that their parents or they themselves will be taken away."

Standing outside Gillen's office, the Rev. Patty Avila of Freeport, a Lutheran minister, said: "I migrated to the United States some time ago. But I had the opportunity to build a life here, to build a better life for my children and generations to come." But she said the opportunities for citizenship that were available to her "have been completely shut down. Our nation is witnessing mass deportation, waves of families torn apart and their lives uprooted."

Ani Halasz, executive director of Long Island Jobs With Justice, which sponsored the rallies along with Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance, said in an interview the rally came about because they were unable to secure meetings with Gillen, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) during the August recess, typically when members of Congress return from Washington to their home districts. 

There was no rally at the office of Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) because they got a letter last week from Suozzi's office about setting up a meeting, said Richard Koubek, community outreach coordinator for Long Island Jobs With Justice.

Gillen's office said they had received an email from a constituent pertaining to immigration but had not received a meeting request before Thursday.

Koubek said the faith leaders were seeking support for legislation that would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to identify themselves with badges and uniforms, to "stop wearing masks" and to "restore protected status of places of worship, hospitals and schools."

Gillen's outreach director, Trevor D. Nelson, met the group at the door, accepted the letter and handed his card to someone in the group, who made the request for a formal meeting. 

In a later statement, Gillen didn't address the meeting but cited her support of bipartisan legislation "to secure our borders while providing a pathway to lawful status for the law-abiding, hard working immigrants who are part of the fabric of our communities."

Advocates attending the rallies at the district offices of LaLota, in Hauppauge, and Garbarino, in Patchogue, said they handed off the letter to aides.

"In the case of LaLota, a woman opened a small window, through which we passed the statement. It was like placing an order for a Big Mac," Koubek said. "This particular person gave me her card and said if you want a meeting, here’s how we contact them. So, we’ll try again."

He said about 60 people attended that rally.

The Rev. Claire Repsholdt, pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Patchogue, said between 30-40 people attended the rally at Garbarino's office. She said there was "a lot of solidarity and hope that Garbarino is paying attention" to the group's concerns.

Mary O'Hara, a spokeswoman for LaLota, said in a statement regarding the faith leaders' request for an August meeting: "If we received a request to meet, it would have been considered. But our office never received such a request." As for reaction to the faith leaders' concerns, LaLota said in a statement: "Only in today’s politics could a group claim to fight for justice by opposing the very laws that uphold it."

Kristen Cianci, spokeswoman for Garbarino, said a person called the district office "back in July, but then didn’t respond to an email follow-up with our staff to get information about a meeting." Cianci added: "Whatever materials they passed along today will be shared with the congressman."