21 People Were Detained by Federal Immigration Agents in Lake Placid Last Week. Here Is What Happened.
Federal agents conducted two operations — a May 28 parking lot raid and a Tuesday traffic stop — detaining restaurant workers, roofers, and others. ICE says all violated immigration law. An advocacy group says seven had legal work authorization.
Federal immigration agents conducted two enforcement operations in Lake Placid last week, detaining at least 21 people — including restaurant workers who were stopped on their way to work and construction laborers who were on a job site.
The first operation happened on the morning of May 28. ICE agents from the Champlain sub-office detained 14 people in a parking lot on Mirror Lake Drive. Thirteen were employees of a roofing company working in the area temporarily. One lived and worked in Lake Placid. ICE said all 14 were in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Seven had final orders of removal signed by a federal immigration judge.
The second operation happened Tuesday morning. Seven employees of a Lake Placid restaurant were stopped in a traffic stop as they drove to work from Saranac Lake. North Country Immigrant Allies, a regional advocacy group, said no local or state police were involved, and that all seven workers were legally permitted to live and work in the United States. ICE has not publicly confirmed or disputed that.
ICE identified three of those detained by name and criminal record. Gabriel Antonio Vera-Garcia, a Venezuelan national, faces a felony attempted assault charge. Wilber Jose Colina Villegas, also from Venezuela, has prior convictions for domestic assault and DUI, and had a final removal order outstanding. Manuel Alberto Garcia-Perez, from Honduras, has a DWI conviction and is facing a second. ICE did not specify which operation each was part of.
"Violating immigration laws is a crime and carries consequences, which includes arrest, detention and removal from the United States," an ICE spokesperson said.
Lake Placid depends heavily on immigrant workers in its hotels, restaurants, and construction industry — particularly heading into the summer tourism season. The full scope of Tuesday's operation, including where those detained are being held, has not been publicly disclosed.