Tile installer Luis arrested by ICE in parking lot despite valid work permit
Jul 23, 2026·Location: Deer Park, NY
Country of origin: Ecuador

Luis, a 25-year-old tile installer from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE agents in the parking lot of Tanger Outlets in Deer Park while sitting in his car. ICE agents ran his out-of-state license plates without his knowledge, identified him as an Ecuadorian citizen, obtained a warrant, and arrested him within 20 minutes without giving him an opportunity to explain that he had a valid work permit and federal status protecting him from deportation. A judge later freed him from custody. Luis's arrest occurred as part of a broader enforcement pattern: Newsday's investigation found ICE has arrested over 2,000 people on Long Island since Trump's second term began, primarily through parking lot surveillance and traffic stops rather than coordinated raids. At least 84 of 400 reviewed cases involved immigrants arrested while using vehicles, despite New York state law barring ICE from accessing DMV records.
Timeline
Sources
More incidents in New York
- Bronx Man Wrongly Arrested by ICE After Agents Falsified Records, Judge FindsOct 5, 2026 · Bronx, NY
- ICE targets immigrants with longstanding protections for third-country deportation, advocates sayOct 5, 2026 · New York, NY
- US citizen teen tackled, bloodied by ICE in mistaken Bronx arrest; judge calls it illegalOct 5, 2026 · Bronx, NY
- Detainees at Batavia Facility to Include Women as ICE Expands CapacityOct 2, 2026 · Batavia, NY
- Brazilian father detained without bond hearing after traffic stop, case goes to Supreme CourtOct 1, 2026 · Buffalo, NY
- Salvadoran man deported without removal order, still detained after return to USOct 1, 2026 · Long Island, NY