January-July Reports
Lake Placid
Essex County, July 8, 2026. Pastor Luis Manuel Urbina Paredes, 51, was detained by ICE while taking out the trash behind the hotel where he worked in Lake Placid. Several men approached and detained Luis before he had an opportunity to identify himself or present his documents. He was initially held at the Batavia detention facility before being transferred out of New York to facilities In Pennsylvania and Michigan. Luis entered the United States from Venezuela in 2021 on a tourist visa, applied for political asylum, then received employment authorization and a Social Security number. He moved to Lake Placid in 2022 and has spent the past several years working, paying taxes, and complying with the legal process. Luis worked as a houseman at a local hotel by day and as a dishwasher at a local restaurant by night. On many of his days off, he accepted additional shifts whenever work was available. His employers describe him as dependable, respectful, hardworking, and trustworthy.
Before coming to the United States, he served as a Pentecostal Christian pastor and is a primary source of financial and emotional support for his mother in Venezuela. In the days after Luis was detained, something remarkable happened. His family there began receiving calls from local friends and acquaintances sharing stories of how Luis had quietly helped them through difficult moments—contributing toward medical expenses, helping put food on the table, or offering support during times of crisis. He never sought recognition, and often never mentioned these acts of generosity to his own family.
That is the man Lake Placid knows.
Lake Placid
Essex County, June 2, 2026. Multiple unmarked vehicles pulled over two vehicles filled with employees of a restaurant in Lake Placid while they were driving from Saranac Lake to their work. Seven employees were detained by ICE and were not allowed to show their documents regardless of the fact that they had work authorization, social security numbers, and paid taxes. They were detained in Batavia and then moved to Louisiana and Mississippi the day before their bond hearing. This required the attorney to refile for bond in a new state which took time and resources. Three of the men signed self-departure papers, one was released on bond, one’s bond was denied and is in detention waiting for a second hearing, and the last two are still being held in detention.
All of these employees were hardworking and compassionate humans, deeply respected and trusted by their employers. They lost all their workers for their restaurant in Lake Placid and have struggled to open the doors during the busiest season of the year. They are deeply distraught over these detainments.
Lake Placid
Essex County, May 28, 2026. A large ICE presence in a parking lot in Lake Placid led to an early morning detainment of 14 individuals - a majority were sub-contractors of a roofing company working on a hotel in town. The scene was brutally violent with individuals chased, slammed to the ground, and kneed in the face. Individuals were not allowed to show documents. It is thought that all the roofing company workers have been deported.
At the same raid, one long term resident and employee of a Lake Placid hotel (who had work authorization documents and paid taxes) was taken to Batavia detention center. Two weeks later he was released on bond but is required to wear a large ankle monitor and check in with ICE regularly (initially weekly and then every couple of months). He is known to be a kind and gentle human who is a hard worker and adored by many in the community, including his employers.
Glens Falls
Warren County. In the Spring of 2026 an immigrant family from Colombia was threatened with deportation. In 2024 they had purchased a plumbing business in the area and the husband, wife, and two daughters moved to Glens Falls, obtaining B-2 visas. To maintain stable immigration status, they hired an immigration attorney from Albany to assure stable B-2 visas, while helping them apply for E-2 visas.
Through a family connection they had visited Glens Falls/Queensbury and became attracted to it. The husband owned a construction business in Columbia – the wife a dental practice. They sold most of their assets to generate cash for the move, and then come here on Visitor’s B-2 visas. Their successful business provides services throughout Northern New York State from Albany to Buffalo up to the border. They provide volunteer dental services in Hudson Falls. The children are successful academically and active in sports.
At their most recent B-2 visa renewal meeting, their application was refused, the E-2 application denied, and a letter of intent to have them deported was issued by ICE. They had a hearing scheduled for May 4, but that has been postponed. An active group in the area are rallying around their case to support this new life immigrants have so successfully created.
Lake Placid
Essex County, February 22, 2026.A young man and woman who lived and worked in Lake Placid were detained in the Family Dollar parking lot in Lake Placid. Both had documents to work and were paying taxes. The young woman was detained for more than 4 months and released on a Habeas Corpus filing in July 2026.
Glens Falls
Warren County, February 24, 2026. ICE agents detained a Venezuelan man from his home and sent him to the Batavia detention facility near Buffalo. His wife and two young teenage daughters remain in Glens Falls with support being provided through Adirondack Welcome Circle and local volunteers. LifeWorks acquired legal support for the detainee.
