Immigration agents will be able to keep using a rifle range in the Town of Islip for three more years. The town board voted to renew its contract with the Department of Homeland Security, allowing the agency continued access to the facility for training.
The decision came in a 4 to 1 vote. The arrangement is not new for the town, as the contract has been in place for the past two decades and lets dozens of agencies use the town-owned shooting range on Freeman Avenue.
The board's lone dissenter cast the single no vote. According to the reporting, the councilman had advocated to change the language of the agreement so the immigration agency would be limited to using the facility exclusively for training.
Those changes were ultimately included in the renewed agreement. Even so, the councilman said he still feels the deal falls short of what many people in the community have been advocating for.
Opposition to the contract has been a point of debate in the area. Some residents argue that any local resource going toward training immigration agents in any capacity contributes to the targeting of minority communities across the island.
Supporters on the board pointed to the long-standing nature of the arrangement and the fact that the facility serves many agencies, not just one. With the renewal approved, the town will continue the contract while the community debate over its use carries on.