The hearth chief in Lengthy Island’s largest Latino group allegedly stormed into a neighborhood lawmaker’s workplace and dared his workers to “name ICE” — days after the pol accused him of aiding migrant crackdowns.
Democratic state Assemblyman Phil Ramos apparently sparked the showdown when he accused Brentwood’s fireplace officers final week of aiding the feds of their native immigration raids, with ICE noticed establishing a makeshift base within the car parking zone of one of many division’s fireplace stations.
Ramos’ public chastising then allegedly led Brentwood Hearth Chief Bryant Figueroa to storm the politician’s workplace Thursday evening.
The pol stated Figueroa was “trespassing” and attempting to intimidate him by barging into his personal workplace uninvited and daring workers to name regulation enforcement and the feds as they tried to cease him.
“Chief Bryant Figueroa stormed into my workplace unannounced, ignoring repeated directions from my workers to not transcend the general public area — as an alternative, he trespassed and entered my personal workplace,” Ramos stated in a press release.
“When requested to go away and informed once more that he was not allowed in that a part of the workplace, he responded defiantly with the phrases: ‘Then name the police. Name ICE.’ ”
Ramos stated Figueroa “forcibly entered” his personal workplace and slammed an envelope on his desk containing the division’s revocation of the lawmaker’s honorary “chief” title together with discover that his title shall be faraway from the partitions of the East Brentwood Hearth Home in Suffolk County.
“Moderately than standing with us throughout a tough time, your phrases and actions have fueled public distrust and endangered the security and fame of those that serve selflessly and with out political motive,” stated the fireplace chief’s letter, which was obtained by The Put up.
“We count on our group leaders, particularly these we have now honored with the title of Honorary Chief, to face shoulder to shoulder with us in instances of disaster and controversy–to not solid blame or sow division. Your current conduct doesn’t replicate the values we uphold or the brotherhood and sisterhood we share within the fireplace service.”
Brentwood Hearth didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the chief’s alleged storming of Ramos’ workplace.
The division beforehand denied any data or allowance of ICE’s operations to happen in its car parking zone. A now-viral video reveals masked brokers and unmarked vehicles just lately establishing store on the fireplace home.
Regardless of the division’s and firefighters’ denial, Ramos has remained unconvinced and insisted that leaders reminiscent of Figueroa gave ICE the inexperienced gentle to function out of the car parking zone.
Simply days earlier than the chief’s alleged workplace storming, Ramos led a protest outdoors the fireplace home that ICE was noticed at.
Ramos, a former police officer who as soon as sued his personal division for civil-rights violations, stated the fireplace division’s management is “out of contact with the various group it serves” — and accused Figueroa of crossing the road from skilled disagreement into private retaliation.
He’s now calling for accountability and warning that the battle is much from over.
“I can’t be intimidated, I can’t be silenced, nor will our group stand for gestapo-like techniques from a fireplace division that’s in pressing want of volunteers,” Ramos stated. “I’ll proceed to face up for my group and shine the sunshine of justice wherever it might lead.”
