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Village will not pursue local ICE law; police say they will cooperate with federal agencies
Aug 06, 2025
Village of Millerton and Town of North East residents crowded into the NorthEast-Millerton Library annex to have their voices heard on police policies regarding immigration enforcement for the Tuesday, July 29, Village Trustees meeting.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — After a packed public meeting brought immigration enforcement to the forefront of village politics on Tuesday, July 29, trustees signaled they will not pursue a proposed local law aimed at limiting police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Local police, for their part, said they would fully cooperate with federal agencies — including ICE — tempering hopes for the kind of change some residents had called for.
The push began this spring when six Millerton residents and 11 supporters sent a letter to village officials urging the board to “affirm its commitment to justice, constitutional rights and community trust.”
At a May 21 meeting, the request was added to the board agenda. Supporters urged trustees to draft a law that would safeguard due process and prevent local police from assisting ICE without a judicial warrant. No action was taken then, but public interest surged ahead of the July 29 follow-up meeting, which drew nearly triple the crowd and required a move to the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex.
Though the meeting was intended to assess the feasibility of a village-specific law — the village spans just over half a square mile — discussion often touched on broader national issues and personal stories. Of the 55 attendees, 30 addressed the board during the 77-minute session, with Mayor Jenn Najdek working to maintain order during what was, at times, an emotionally charged exchange.
Speakers represented a range of perspectives, from civil liberties advocates urging protective measures to residents concerned about impeding law enforcement. Among those who spoke was Bill Kish, a North East resident and Planning Board member who helped reintroduce the proposal.
He described the goal as a “call to adopt a local law limiting the police department’s involvement with ICE,” clarifying that the request was not to obstruct federal authorities. Rather, the hope was to create legislation that would prohibit local police from collecting immigration status information or supporting ICE in detaining individuals without the presence of a judicial warrant.
Such measures, he said, would uphold constitutional protections, enhance public safety, and build community trust. He pointed to a model law published by the New York State Attorney General’s Office that outlines similar measures — offering it as a ready-made framework to eliminate legal or logistical hurdles.
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik was not present at the July meeting but had played a central role in the earlier discussion in May. In a conversation with The Millerton News late Monday evening, Olenik offered clarity on several points.
Regarding the first request from residents, Olenik confirmed that the Millerton Police Department does not, under any circumstance, collect immigration status information. He elaborated that during traffic violations or arrests, officers do collect names, addresses and dates of birth — but not immigration status.
When asked directly if he or his officers would request to see a judicial warrant before aiding in an arrest spearheaded by ICE, he responded unequivocally.
“No, I would not ask for a judicial warrant,” said Chief Olenik. He went on to say, “It’s their arrest, so to speak, and we would only be there as a supporting and assisting agency. We’re not there to second-guess their policies and procedures.”
He added that federal law supersedes state and local law, and “if ICE calls us for assistance and we are on duty — we are mandated to go.”
Though his comments echoed those from the May meeting, they marked a more definitive stance. However, they did not address the legal precedent for local governments that opt out of voluntary cooperation with ICE under sanctuary or non-cooperation policies.
Constitutional concerns raised
Bryan MacCormack, co-founder of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, attended as both a supporter and subject-matter expert. Resident Brooke Lehman, co-founder of The Watershed Center in Millerton, ceded her speaking time so MacCormack could provide an educational perspective.
With years of experience helping municipalities implement sanctuary policies, MacCormack said policies like the one proposed have been shown to increase community safety. While he acknowledged the limits of local jurisdiction, he emphasized the village’s responsibility to uphold the U.S. Constitution — particularly the Fourth Amendment. He described warrantless searches and detentions by ICE as constitutional violations and cited them as justification for local protections.
MacCormack also highlighted his work training municipalities and businesses to develop policies that protect rights during interactions with federal agencies. This work resulted in clear policies, resolutions and executive orders within the Hudson Police Department and Columbia County Sheriff’s Department.
Some attendees expressed that even if trustees or police are unwilling to pass a law, adopting internal policies that reflect the spirit of the proposal would still be meaningful. Others expressed relief that village trustees chose not to move forward.
Next steps unclear
Although the meeting featured extensive public input — and legal counsel was present — no formal proposal was presented or made available for public review. In the end, trustees chose not to move forward with legislation.
While some trustees pointed to a “recently updated” police policy as reason to forgo a law, it’s unclear whether that policy addresses the concerns raised. A document posted on the village website appears to date back to 2021, stemming from Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203. That document does not explicitly mention immigration enforcement, ICE or warrant procedures.
Multiple requests to village officials for clarification went unanswered throughout the week. However, Chief Olenik said Monday night that the department’s policies are “currently being updated” in preparation for accreditation through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services — and were not readily available to the public. Asked if those updates would include language related to immigration, he said “no.”
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Kimberly Travis, right, during the early days of her daily "No kings" anti-Trump administration protests at downtown Amenia's Fountain Square in front of the Bank of Millbrook on Saturday, July 5. Travis has become a regular fixture on downtown Amenia after weeks of the daily protests.
Photo by Leila Hawken
AMENIA — Dutchess County Sheriff’s Deputies broke up a political dispute between two Amenia residents at Fountain Square in downtown Amenia on Tuesday, July 15.
Kimberly Travis of Amenia was conducting her daily “No Kings” anti-Trump administration protest at Fountain Square at 1:15 p.m. when Jamie Deines of Amenia, a candidate for Town Board in the Nov. 4 election, approached her.
Travis told responding deputies on the scene and The News she felt threatened by Deines. “She was very intimidating,” Travis said. “And I have not felt fear in the whole time I’ve been doing this.”
A man who asked to be identified only by his first name, Tom, stopped by the square on his lunch break to chat with Travis just before Deines’s arrival. He said he too was alarmed by Deines’s demeanor and made the first call to 911 shortly after the interaction began.
In an effort to de-escalate, Travis said, she turned away and started walking down the sidewalk along Route 343 away from Fountain Square. Deines followed close behind, Travis said, and then Travis called 911 too.
The Millerton News received a letter to the editor from Travis on Monday, July 28, detailing the interaction and condemning Deines for her conduct. She sat down in The News’s office in Millerton for an interview on Wednesday, July 30; just over two weeks after the interaction.
Deines paints a different picture of the encounter. “I just countered some of her arguments about Trump,” Deines said. “And she apparently didn’t like that so she called the cops.”
Deines wouldn’t go into specifics about the conversation, but she denied being threatening or physically intimidating to Travis during the interaction. Deines said during a brief interview in the Freshtown parking lot in Amenia that responding deputies told her she wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“We were standing there, talking,” Deines said. “I was just walking and saying my piece and talking to her and asking her questions, that’s all. It’s loud. Cars are going by, so it’s loud.”
Police arrived and took statements from Deines and Travis, recorded in a redacted police report obtained by the Millerton News on July 25. According to the report, deputies told both parties they had a right to be in the square and participate in peaceful protest.
Deputies left the scene and Deines left shortly after. Travis packed up her signs and left as well, as she usually does at that time in the afternoon. There were no fines, charges or other enforcement action taken as a result of the dispute.
The News obtained a police report from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office with redacted names. A FOIL appeal for the unredacted report was filed with the Dutchess County Attorney on Thursday, July 31, and is still pending.
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Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was a guest speaker at the Aug. 2 annual meeting of the Twin Lakes Association.
Debra A. Aleksinas
SALISBURY— A fierce and costly battle to halt the spread of hydrilla in East Twin Lake may have finally paid off.
All but three remaining small patches, one near the shoreline at O’Hara’s Landing Marina and two others in deeper water as boats exit the marina and head out, have been destroyed by this summer’s treatment with the aquatic herbicide fluridone, which began on May 20. None of the remaining plants are thriving.
“We hit 90 days in mid-August, and most of the hydrilla is dead,” reported Dominic Meringolo, an environmental engineer with SOLitude Lake Management, whose company was retained by the Twin Lakes Association (TLA) to apply the lake’s 2025 herbicide treatments.
The announcement was met with relief and applause from the approximately 100 members of the Twin Lakes Association who attended the group’s annual meeting Aug. 2 at Isola Bella.
“This is the first good news we’ve had in three years with hydrilla, but we’re far from being able to say that the coast is clear,” said TLA President Grant Bogle.
He stressed that vigilance is required and Northeast Aquatic Research (NEAR), the TLA’s limnologist, will continue to do detailed plant surveys throughout the lakes. “In East Twin, we supplement these with diver-assisted surveys in the deeper water, which are expected to take place in late August or September.”
Russ Conklin, vice president of lake management for the TLA concurred. “We are going to have to do this two, three more years, or maybe longer.”
According to TLA officials, experience from past eradication and control efforts is that this is a multi-year endeavor. Left untreated, hydrilla has returned in lakes like Coventry Lake, which took a year “off” from treatment.
“The fact is,” said Bogle, “We don’t know how long we will need to continue treating the East Bay, but by keeping it in control in this section of the lake, we are attempting to keep it from spreading further both within Twin Lakes and as boats exit Twin Lakes.”
Possibly spread by fishing boats
The battle to stop the spread of the robust Connecticut River variant of hydrilla in East Twin began in the fall of 2023, when it was discovered near the marina, and had since ventured further out into the lake.
At the time of its discovery, East Twin was the first lake in the state outside of the Connecticut River, where it had been wreaking havoc, to have identified the virulent strain in its waters.
Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was the first environmental expert to visit East Twin after the TLA’s limnologist, George Knocklein, found the stringy, dark green plant, which looks similar to the native waterweed, elodea.
“We got out there within a week, got our boat out on the lake and sent out DNA analysis confirming the Connecticut River strain,” recalled Bugbee who, along with Meringolo, were guest speakers at the TLA meeting.
“How did it get from the river into East Twin? Fishing tournaments were in the river and some people went to O’Hara’s for a tournament here,” the CAES scientist noted.
He said the Connecticut River strain had likely been around for “many, many years” before hydrilla was detected and was thought to have been contained to the river.
“But that all changed with East Twin Lake in 2023, when George Knocklein found it floating around O’Hara’s Landing Marina,” said Bugbee.
Since then, he noted, nine additional lakes have been invaded by the rapidly growing water weed. To date, they have been met with limited success in knocking back hydrilla.
Among a few of the lakes’ attempted remedies to rid hydrilla include the introduction of sterile grass carp, hand-pulling or raking them.
“Pulling it is not effective,” said Bugbee, a certified diver, who tried the method. “We went back a month or so later and the hydrilla had all regrown.”
Another lake group sponsored a “Take a Rake to the Lake Day,” where a $500 prize was offered to the person who raked the largest haul of hydrilla out of the water.
“I said, I’ve got to see this, so I went out in my boat,” said Bugbee, who recounted with humor the vision of a woman raking hydrilla into a wagon. The winner, he recalled, removed 750 pounds of plant and muck.
While the event was unsuccessful in eradicating the invasive weed, he said it did bring the problem to the forefront of people’s attention and eventually was tackled with herbicide treatments.
The immediate impact of the herbicide on native plants is being assessed by NEAR.
“We know that outside the treatment area, the plants are doing fine,” said Bogle. “We will have more definitive information on the native, rare and invasive plants at our scientific coalition meeting in the fall.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been working for 7 years now doing trials with herbicides, said Bugbee.
“USACE does the research then turns it over to the states. We are doing boat launch surveys on all the boat launches in the state looking for hydrilla. If we can find it by the boat ramps, we can suggest management, potentially.”
The good news is, it works
Conklin noted that other than the few surviving hydrilla, “there are no other plants that George has found in that bay” where herbicide was applied. “We were able to get there, and it only took us three years.”
Fluridone treatments were calculated based on the entire volume of the east basin of East Twin and slow-release pellets were applied to the littoral zone. The pellets release over a period of six to eight weeks, with peak release at two to three weeks after application.
Liquid fluridone was used during the first three applications to boost initial concentration, followed by slow-release pellets, according to Meringolo. The goal, he explained, was to use the herbicide at between three and five parts per billion for approximately 120 days.
Because by the 90-day mark most of the hydrilla had died, Meringolo said there are no plans to continue the last two treatments, as the slow-release pellets will remain in the water close to the 120-day target.
Conklin agreed. “Why should we be killing dead plants? Let’s see what happens this year. The good news is, it works. The bad news is, we’ve got to do it again.”
The TLA official noted that a dose of good fortune was also on the TLA’s side.
“We were fortunate that George found it over here in the bay,” where the water is relatively stagnant. If we found it out in the middle lake or third lake, we would be hard-pressed to be able to do this treatment.
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