Demonstrators Take to East Hampton for Latest Protest Over ICE Presence

Southold Democratic Committee Chairwoman Kathryn Casey Quigley made a 90-minute trek to East Hampton Village to attend the latest in a series of protests over the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the East End.

Demonstrators gathered at Hook Mill in the village at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, November 21, building on protests that took place in Hampton Bays and Westhampton Beach the previous two Fridays after ICE swept through the area on November 5, detaining a dozen people.

“In the United States of America, it is not acceptable for people to be living in terror,” Quigley said. “These are good community members, and people who love this country, and are serving this country, are working in this county, are loving this place, who came here for a better life — and we’re just kidnapping them?”

At the latest protest, purple was prevalent, as demonstrators waved purple pom-poms and donned purple wigs, in reference to the purple hair of the event’s organizer, Anita Boyer, which has been the subject of more than a few unpleasant social media comments.

“We want to make sure that our community leaders, everyone who serves the community, knows that we want strong statements of support for our immigrant communities and against ICE,” Boyer said.

“I also want to say we brought a lot of purple today. Some people wore purple wigs to support my purple hair, because my purple hair has been a bigger topic of conversation than the actual issue. I also want to say that I think purple is great because this is not a red or a blue issue. This affects everyone on both sides.”

Joe Pallister, Boyer’s husband, also urged local officials to speak out against the presence of ICE on the East End.

“We’ve been going around all the different towns, and we just want to make sure that the people in East Hampton know that we got their back. Immigrants that are here — they’re supported, and they should feel safe,” Pallister said.

Decades back, Chris Ajemian’s family fled genocide in Armenia — but, more recently, Ajemian himself felt the impacts of the Donald Trump administration, after it made cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. In January, after working in Afghanistan and Iraq monitoring protection programs for vulnerable communities, Ajemian lost his job.

“I spent my life working in international development, and I’ve also lived in countries with the risk of being kidnapped, and this doesn’t feel like my community,” Ajemian said.

“I think when we’re all feeling really afraid, we shouldn’t be arguing with each other, getting divisive or hiding,” he said. “I think we should just be talking with our neighbors and getting to understand them, and that’s how we live in a future that we’re not afraid of — but right now, I can’t not be here and sitting at my house staring at a screen.”

David Lerner said the unconstitutional behavior of the Trump administration prompted him to take to the protest on Pantigo Road. He called for due process, saying that ripping people off the streets needs to stop.

“A lot of people saw it coming,” Lerner said. “He indicated — Trump — he was going to engage in this illegal campaign, and he’s been true to his word, that’s for sure.”