Oceanside McDonald's manager Christian Rodriguez arrested by ICE after immigration check-in, faces deportation

A manager of a McDonald’s in Oceanside has been arrested by federal immigration agents and is facing deportation after working at the fast food chain for five years, store workers said.

Christian Rodriguez, 51, a native of Venezuela, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last Thursday after he went for a hearing on his pending political asylum case, said a worker at the restaurant who requested anonymity for fear of losing their job.

ICE arrested Rodriguez even though he had a valid Social Security number and work visa, said the worker.

Customers at the restaurant said they are upset by Rodriguez's arrest; they and his co-workers want him released. Rodriguez was a familiar face to the early morning crowd since he started his shift at 5 a.m., Tuesdays to Saturdays. He also worked some overnight shifts in Oceanside and at a McDonald’s in Rosedale, Queens, co-workers said.

At one table Wednesday morning at the Oceanside store, a group of regular customers lamented Rodriguez’s arrest as they sipped coffee and ate breakfast.

"He’s a good guy. He’s a very hard worker. He’s not a criminal," said one customer, who did not want his full name used.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump contends what he pledges will be the largest mass deportation campaign in U.S. history is targeting mainly violent and dangerous criminals. But advocates and immigration lawyers say many of those being swept up have no criminal record and are everyday workers like Rodriguez in restaurants, factories, farms and other work sites.

Others caught in the dragnet on Long Island this year include an honors student at Suffolk County Community College, a manager of a popular bagel cafe in Port Washington, and a mother of five in Brentwood.

'Here for work'

Rodriguez came to the United States knowing almost no English but worked his way into a top position at the restaurant, the McDonald’s worker said. "He literally was only here for work and just to find a better life."

Rodriguez, who lives in Baldwin, arrived in the United States in December 2015 on a tourist visa, and was supposed to leave by June 3, 2016, according to immigration papers reviewed by Newsday.

But he also had filed for political asylum, claiming he would be in danger if sent back to Venezuela and what critics call the repressive regime of President Nicolas Maduro, the McDonald’s worker said. Typically, an immigrant is permitted to remain in the United States while their asylum case is being processed — often for years, according to immigration attorneys.

Rodriguez’s immigration "notice to appear" papers said he could be removed from the United States because he stayed beyond the final date permitted on his tourist visa.

Rodriguez was arrested apparently after he went to a hearing on his application at a U.S. immigration office in Bethpage, the worker said.

Rodriguez had attended another hearing on Aug. 7, and "everybody was thinking it was good" after his meeting, the worker said. He was ordered to return for another hearing on Aug. 21.

But on that day around 2 p.m., when Rodriguez was supposed to show up for a company picnic, he instead texted a co-worker to say his application was denied and he was arrested by ICE.

He said he had been taken to Central Islip, where, according to immigration attorneys, ICE agents appear to be taking immigrants to the federal courthouse. Rodriguez has not communicated with co-workers since then and they aren’t sure where he is.

Held in New York

An online ICE detention tracker says Rodriguez is being held in New York but does not say where. No one answers a phone number listed to call for more information.

Co-workers have called the Nassau County jail in East Meadow, where Nassau officials have agreed to house some immigrants arrested by ICE, to try to locate Rodriguez but have gotten nowhere.

Rodriguez’s "notice to appear" issued last week says he must now appear before an immigration judge on Oct. 27 to show why he should not be removed from the country.

Andrea Rodriguez Tarazi, an immigration attorney based in Bohemia, said although she does not have all the facts of Rodriguez’s case, it appears to be part of a pattern where government officials arrest immigrants when they show up for regularly scheduled appointments on their cases.

Immigrants don’t know what to do because they are legally required to go to the appointments, but then often get detained when they do, Rodriguez Tarazi said.

"It's like you lose either way," she said. "They're getting caught because they're going to their check-ins ... Following the law no longer protects you, because there are people still getting picked up."

"I know that they keep saying that everybody has a criminal record that's getting picked up," she said. "But there are many people who have zero criminal records who are still getting picked up."

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said in late May the administration wanted to boost daily arrests of immigrants from about 600 a day to more than 3,000 a day.

Co-workers at McDonald’s are raising funds to hire an immigration lawyer so Rodriguez can get legal representation and hopefully be freed.

His arrest is "very bad," said another McDonald’s co-worker who did not want their name used. "He’s a very good person. We want him to return soon."