An adult male who has worked on Fire Island for many years was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on February 12, according to an anonymous tip recently received by the Schneps Media offices, this publication has learned.
Sources close to the matter report that he was not taken into custody on Fire Island; instead, he was detained during a routine renewal process of his Work Visa at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Application Support Center in Hauppauge. His attorney was present at the time.
While his name has not been disclosed, we know he is from El Salvador and has been living in the United States for about 22 years. Although he has held multiple jobs on Fire Island, he was most recently employed with All Weather Industries of NY, Inc, better known as Wetherall Carting, the contracted garbage collection service for the Incorporated Village of Saltaire.
Members of the close-knit village, with a year-round population of just 113 residents according to the U.S. Census, have kept their thoughts to themselves, fearing media exposure could impact other immigrant workers who work—and sometimes live—on Fire Island.
The man in question doesn’t live in Saltaire but is well-known locally. He is recognized as a good family man, with a wife, two daughters, and an adult son who often worked alongside him.
It is believed that the individual is currently being held at an ICE facility in Arizona. The residents of Saltaire have assembled a community collection to help support his family during their crisis.
