
Local Police Comment on ICE Presence in Westchester County
As per Donald Trump's campaign promise, immigration enforcement officials increased their raiding of communities across the country just days after Trump officially took office on Sunday, January 20th.
Raids began with a massive surge in arrests the first full weekend after the inauguration resulting in 2,373 arrests between Thursday, January 23rd and Sunday, January 26th according to NBC, FOX, and The BBC.
Now, local communities around the Hudson Valley are on high alert as more ICE officials are being spotted in their residential areas.
ICE in the Hudson Valley
Posts began circulating on Tuesday, January 28th regarding rumors of ICE vehicles being spotted in various areas around Greene County and Sleepy Hollow.
We await confirmation on the sightings and activity allegedly seen in Greene County but can confirm the presence and action of ICE officials in Sleepy Hollow.
Photos and video of ICE officials were posted to social media showing uniformed officials near Beekman Avenue and Bridgeview in Sleepy Hollow.
That same Tuesday, the Sleepy Hollow Police Department posted on their Facebook page addressing the presence of ICE.
According to the Sleepy Hollow Police Department, ICE reached out to the local department earlier that morning around 10:00 AM to share that they would be coming to Sleepy Hollow in order to carry out a specific immigration warrant for two individuals.

They go on to share that there was no implication of a "mass round-up" planned by ICE for Sleepy Hollow. The department has not confirmed if the intended warrants had been successfully served or if any arrests were made.
Community responses varied. Some criticized the department for sharing the information at all. Others took to social media to share Know Your Rights information:
Read More: Adult Immigrant Students Advised 'Know Your Rights with ICE' in NY
ICE Arrests By Administration
There's a new, hotter spotlight on ICE arrests and raids as of late with it being one of the major focal points of Trump's campaign. But ICE has been making arrests around the country for years.
According to a CBS News Chicago Investigation, during Trump's first term, the highest ICE arrest daily average came in 2018 with approximately 434 arrests per day. The total number of arrests made that year was just over 158,000.
Biden actually topped both that daily average and total number of ICE arrests in 2023. During that year, ICE arrests hit an average of 467 arrests per day and totaled 170,590 arrests in total.
So, aside from a renewed license to abandon decorum, what's so different now? While we're only days into Trump's second term, the current daily average for ICE arrests sits at approximately 593 arrests per day. Trump expressed his intention to invoke the Alien Enemies Act and published an Executive Order to overturn the birthright citizenship promised to all born in the United States under the 14th Amendment to the United States Consitution.
While ICE has existed and carried out arrests through many administrations, the surrounding executive action and demonizing rhetoric regarding immigrants this time around have descended to new depths, only fostering the fear so many have begun to feel right here in the Hudson Valley.
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Gallery Credit: Megan