Unease and misinformation spurred by a recent federal operation in Mount Kisco had village, school, and law enforcement officials hustling to reassure residents that the community remains “safe” and that rules are being followed.
According to spokesman Kieran O’Leary, the Westchester County Police Department was informed early Wednesday, Jan. 4, that agents representing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be in the village while trying to locate a specific individual.
The notification is, he said, “Standard law enforcement protocol when one agency is operating within the jurisdiction of another.”
The WCPD did not provide any assistance to ICE nor was it “asked to do so,” O’Leary said, adding that police did not “know the nature of its investigation or whether it was able to locate the person it was looking for.”
The exact location of the operation could not be pinpointed. Halston Media reached out to the Department of Homeland Security’s media contact for clarification, but as of press time had not heard back.
Knowing the fear and confusion that even rumors of ICE activities can cause, Bedford Central School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Glass issued a statement to parents expressing “deep care and understanding regarding a situation that we know is causing concern in our community.”
The school district, after confirming the report, wanted to address it “with the utmost transparency and sensitivity,” Glass said, adding that it is “unwaveringly committed to ensuring our schools remain safe, inclusive, and supportive spaces for every single student and family.”
“We are deeply committed to educating and caring for your children, and we take that responsibility to heart,” he said.
A BCSD spokesperson confirmed to Halston Media that there were no ICE agents on school property.
Glass sought to reassure the school community that the district has “clear, specific protocols in place for addressing any potential interactions with ICE agents.”
Those include making “immediate contact” with the superintendent’s office “to ensure that every step taken is in the best interest of our students’ well-being,” he wrote.
According to Glass, the district actively communicates with local law enforcement and the county executive’s office.
“Our goal is to both confirm and share accurate, timely information regarding any ICE activity in our area so that we can continue to do our best in serving our children and families,” he said, adding that the school community’s “trust and partnership” is “invaluable.”
Mayor J. Michael Cindrich also weighed in.
Calling the village/town, a “safe, friendly community; a wonderful place to live and raise a family” where the quality of life was “exceptional,” he nevertheless regretted to inform folks that ICE had conducted a law enforcement operation “that disrupted families, school children, and businesses.”
Mount Kisco’s population is culturally diverse, with a large portion – estimated at between 35 and 40 percent – of its 11,000 residents being Hispanic/Latino.
In a statement, Cindrich said residents “who either witnessed or were told of the activity” informed him of the operation.
He was told that agents were stopping cars on Lexington Avenue near Oakwood Cemetery at around 10 a.m.
“The facts as relayed to me were that ICE was searching for one individual in an attempt to execute a federal judicial arrest warrant; our police officers did not assist, or participate in the search,” he added.
Police officers, as members of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, “strictly adhere” to the Immigrant Protection Act approved by the county Board of Legislators in 2018, Cindrich said, explaining that that means that federal law enforcement agents act “independently, NOT in accordance with local, county, or state rules, laws, or policies.”
According to the mayor, federal agents were present in Mount Kisco for less than two hours, “yet inaccurate and embellished reporting of ICE activity continued for most of the day.”
Cindrich said he was “grateful to the concerned citizens who reported accurate information” directly to him and also thanked Glass and police officers “who assisted in disseminating accurate information.”
He promised that the “incident is being reviewed on multiple levels in an effort to better serve the community.”
Cindrich’s statement contained a link to the county’s Immigrant Protection Act.
The measure was passed by the Board of Legislators by a bipartisan vote of 11-3 in March 2018 and signed into law by then-County Executive George Latimer.
The measure prevents the county from using any of its resources to assist in federal investigation based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.
In general, it outlines what county law enforcement will require from those with whom they interact and how that information is shared with various levels of law enforcement.
For more information, visit: https://humanrights.westchestergov.com/immigrant-protection-act.
Last year, the crackdown on undocumented immigrants became an issue in the county executive race between the incumbent, Democrat Ken Jenkins, and Republic challenger Christine Sculti.
Sculti had slammed the county’s immigrant protection act as a “sanctuary” law and promised to direct county departments to fully cooperate with federal immigration agencies if elected.
Jenkins, who was returned to office in November, hit back.
“Westchester County has never been a sanctuary jurisdiction,” he maintained in an August statement. “We have been clear, consistent and transparent in our approach from the beginning – complying fully with federal and state law while maintaining policies that strengthen public safety and protect the rights of all of our residents.”
(Westchester is not on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Sanctuary County list.)
Its Immigrant Protection Act was, Jenkins said, “crafted with input from both advocates and law enforcement professionals, to ensure that we both protect our residents and communities, as well as adhere to the law.”
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