Demand Answers: ICE Detained Legal Workers in the Adirondacks Without a Warrant
The Issue
On May 28, ICE agents descended on the Grandview Resort in Lake Placid, New York, ambushing workers without warning. They detained 14 people that morning, and seven more on June 2. Twenty of the 21 total workers detained remain in ICE facilities scattered across the country.
According to the resort's owner, Art Lussi, ICE agents set up a checkpoint on his private property without notifying him or showing a warrant. Workers who tried to produce their documents were refused. One worker with a pending asylum case and active work authorization was handcuffed, had his feet bound, and placed in a detention van despite repeatedly asking agents to retrieve his papers from his car.
"They said no," he told reporters. "They grabbed me, brought me to a white van, put handcuffs on me, tied my feet and also around my waist. I tried to tell them that the documents were in the car, but no one would listen."
The North Country Immigrant Allies says the workers appear to have been targeted for no reason other than the color of their skin. Many held valid J-1 Exchange Visitor Visas or current work authorization. Their employer confirmed they were legally permitted to work.
The raids have shattered a community. ESL class enrollment at the local library dropped from 15 students to two. Church pews sit empty. Families are afraid to take their children to school. One community member was hospitalized from stress. Local business owners say they cannot function without these workers, and Lake Placid's summer tourist season, which swells the town's population from 2,300 to over 10,000, is now in jeopardy.
This is not law enforcement. This is a community under siege.
Sign this petition to demand:
- Immediate review of all detained Lake Placid workers with valid work authorization or pending legal cases
- A federal investigation into ICE's use of warrantless entry on private property at Grandview Resort
- Congressional oversight of "Blackie's warrants," the legal loophole used to raid worksites without probable cause
Legal workers. Private property. No warrant. No answers. Sign now.
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The Issue
On May 28, ICE agents descended on the Grandview Resort in Lake Placid, New York, ambushing workers without warning. They detained 14 people that morning, and seven more on June 2. Twenty of the 21 total workers detained remain in ICE facilities scattered across the country.
According to the resort's owner, Art Lussi, ICE agents set up a checkpoint on his private property without notifying him or showing a warrant. Workers who tried to produce their documents were refused. One worker with a pending asylum case and active work authorization was handcuffed, had his feet bound, and placed in a detention van despite repeatedly asking agents to retrieve his papers from his car.
"They said no," he told reporters. "They grabbed me, brought me to a white van, put handcuffs on me, tied my feet and also around my waist. I tried to tell them that the documents were in the car, but no one would listen."
The North Country Immigrant Allies says the workers appear to have been targeted for no reason other than the color of their skin. Many held valid J-1 Exchange Visitor Visas or current work authorization. Their employer confirmed they were legally permitted to work.
The raids have shattered a community. ESL class enrollment at the local library dropped from 15 students to two. Church pews sit empty. Families are afraid to take their children to school. One community member was hospitalized from stress. Local business owners say they cannot function without these workers, and Lake Placid's summer tourist season, which swells the town's population from 2,300 to over 10,000, is now in jeopardy.
This is not law enforcement. This is a community under siege.
Sign this petition to demand:
- Immediate review of all detained Lake Placid workers with valid work authorization or pending legal cases
- A federal investigation into ICE's use of warrantless entry on private property at Grandview Resort
- Congressional oversight of "Blackie's warrants," the legal loophole used to raid worksites without probable cause
Legal workers. Private property. No warrant. No answers. Sign now.
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Petition created on July 8, 2026