Geneseo Police Detain Suspected Illegal Immigrants at Traffic Stop

GENESEO – The Geneseo Police Department stopped a car for an alleged speeding violation on Mary Jemison Drive and assisted in detaining two adults and several children for allegedly having no valid identification.

Geneseo Police Chief Eric Osganian said that a Geneseo Police Officer stopped a minivan for an alleged speeding violation and called U.S. Border Patrol to confirm the driver’s identity when they could not produce a valid form of identification.

“Geneseo Police Officer Ian Hall affected a traffic stop on a vehicle on Mary Jemison Drive,” said Osganian. “We called Border Patrol to confirm the person’s identity, and they responded. There were two adults and several children.”

SUNY Geneseo students and recent alumni immediately reacted to the Facebook Live videos above. SUNY Geneseo student and Geneseo Village Trustee Mary Rutigliano can be seen and heard in one video from the scene.

“GENESEO COMMUNITY!!! A WOMAN HAS BEEN PULLED OVER AND HAD BORDER PATROL CALLED ON HER ON HER WAY HOME FROM CHURCH!!!! THEY ARE BEING DETAINED NEAR RT. 63 AND THE TOWNHOUSES. PLEASE JOIN OTHER ACTIVISTS IN SHOWING SUPPORT FOR THIS WOMAN RIGHT NOW AND GET DOWN THERE!!!!!!!!” posted recent SUNY Geneseo graduate Pat McCormick.

Rutigliano can be heard in the video addressing a person by the name ‘Eric’ and saying, among other things, ‘You are not required to do ICE’s work.’

“ICE is a federal agency, as is Border Patrol,” said Rutigliano after the incident. “Local agencies are not required to call federal agencies when making traffic stops of this nature.”

She returned a request for comment at 1:39 a.m. Friday while outside the Irondequoit Border Patrol Office with members of Metro Justice Rochester and the Worker Justice Center as part of a Rapid Response rally called by Metro Justice on social media.

Continue to follow the GeneseeSun.com as further details become available.