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On July 27, a local resident sent a distressing video (screenshot below) to the Mayor, the City Manager, and Councilman Shane Osinloye, with this comment attached: 

“The driver was making a food delivery in my building at 164 Church Street. After he left the building, he got in his car and was surrounded by three unmarked cars. Three masked agents in tactical gear with ICE/POLICE labels on their vests surrounded him, one pulled him out of the car, frisked and cuffed him. He was put in an unmarked car and taken away.  His car was moved to an illegal space up the street.  It was left behind, and towed the next morning.  The entire episode took no more than 20 minutes. Also, a friend sent me a photo of the same agents picking up someone on Bonnefoy Place earlier today.  You can see it is at least some of the same agents.”  

The resident who sent this message reports that there has been no response from any of the city officials who received it.

A third arrest occurred later in the week on Woodbine Ave. and was captured in a photo (below) and a very upsetting video that was posted on Facebook. 

This activity matches new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics described in a recent New York Times article about an ICE surge in airports.  And the Gothamist reports that there is an uptick in ICE activity throughout New York State.   

In May 2026, New York State passed a package of legislation designed to protect New Yorkers against aggressive federal immigration enforcement by:

• prohibiting cooperation by local police departments with federal immigration agencies
• assuring that local government employees will not participate in civil immigration enforcement
• allowing New Yorkers to sue the federal government for violating their constitutional rights
• keeping immigration authorities out of schools, libraries, hospitals, and other sensitive public locations
• codifying every student’s right to a free public education regardless of immigration status.

A provision that would make it illegal for ICE agents to wear masks was blocked by a federal judge on  August 3­­. The final outcome on this issue is still pending. Other aspects of the package are scheduled to go into effect on August 25.

What is going on in New Rochelle? 

According to Martin Sanchez, a civil rights activist and former New Rochelle school board member, the number of detainees in New Rochelle has been small – approximately five last year, and about the same this year until very recently.

These arrests increase community members’ fears of being caught up in the federal government’s oppressive policy on immigration.  People are reluctant to leave their homes to get their basic needs met: to shop for food, attend doctor visits, even go to school. 

On May 22, New Rochelle’s Police Commissioner, Neil Reynolds, updated the NRPD’s Manual of Procedures to state that:

• The NRPD will not inquire into an individual’s immigration status unless it is necessary for a criminal investigation.
• The NRPD will not detain any person based solely on suspected unlawful presence in the United States.
• Individuals in NRPD custody will be afforded all constitutional protections…and shall be promptly notified of any ICE detainer received by the Department.

According to officials, the City of New Rochelle does not often know in advance that ICE is intending to pursue an individual, nor are they able to stop ICE officers from entering the city, surveilling, profiling and detaining people of color. 

Local activists are concerned that City leaders haven’t done more to protect their immigrant neighbors, and have instead taken a “stay under the radar” approach. According to activists, the City could be doing more to educate residents about their rights, monitor ICE, provide information to the community, and help to address the community’s fears. For example, in New York City, Council member Shahana Hanif has bystander intervention resources as well as immigrant rights information on her City website.

As was demonstrated in Minnesota and other places across the country, it falls on everyone in the community to find a way to help their neighbors.  One way to help is to donate time to deliver food for those afraid to go out, or donate funds to keep the food pantries full.

Other things can be done  to help protect neighbors.  The New Rochelle/Larchmont/Mamaroneck Indivisible Chapters are out on the corner of North Avenue and Huguenot every Saturday morning, protesting ICE activities. They are buoyed by loud community support as passing drivers honk to show their approval. 

Scenes from Indivisible’s weekly protests against ICE in downtown New Rochelle

has also trained a cadre of volunteers who go out regularly to teach business owners how to protect their staff. They have reached about 275 New Rochelle businesses since early April, all of which have been grateful for the information. For more information or to find out how you can participate, email: IndNewRochelle.community@gmail.com

And this past winter, roughly 1500 students walked out of New Rochelle High School on a Friday afternoon, under a banner that read “Community over Fear, Students Against ICE.” Many students who did not participate cheered from the windows as their fellow students left the building. 

NRHS students demonstrate against ICE at City Hall in early 2026

Nationwide, there is a move to identify corporations that support ICE and to boycott and disinvest from those corporations.  In July 2026, Citizens Bank announced it was ending its financial relationship with The GEO Group and CoreCivic, two major private prison operators tied to ICE detention centers, following a public pressure campaign. All New Yorkers should reach out to the NYS Comptroller’s office regarding disinvestment from other corporations that profit from ICE activities. 

When ICE threatens, anti-ICE activists advise the community to continue to make  objections known through active protests, do everything to get out the vote in November, support the organizations that are in a position to assist, and take care of one another in any way possible.  As ICE moves to smaller, more scattered actions, the need to raise awareness and be ready to respond when needed are more important than ever, activists say.