State Sen. Julia Salazar, Assemb. Michaelle Solages tour ICE cells in East Meadow after initially denied entry

State Democrats visited an East Meadow jail on Wednesday to inspect cells used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold more than 1,400 immigrants since early this year, after initially being denied access by jail officials.

State Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) planned to meet with jail officials, tour ICE cells and speak with detainees. The two elected officials and their staff were denied access by jail officials about 10:15 a.m., but were let in shortly after.

"New York should not be helping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement abduct New Yorkers, full stop," Salazar’s office wrote in an earlier statement. The senator is the sponsor of a bill called Dignity Not Detention, which would make it illegal for local governments to detain immigrants on behalf of ICE.

After touring the jail, Salazar said she suspects immigrants are being held longer than the legal limit of 72 hours.

"I spoke to a man ... who is from Huntington, he’s been here for about 20 years. ... He’s a business owner. He was arrested on Sunday, and now it’s Wednesday," she said. The man is not accused of a crime separate from his immigration status, Salazar added.

"It’s unacceptable that our neighbors who have not been charged with a crime are being held," she said.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced a partnership with ICE earlier this year, allocating 50 local jail cells for the federal agency to hold immigrants. Blakeman has said he does not know details about who is being held in the jail, including whether they are charged with a crime separate from their immigration status.

In February, ICE jailed 86 people in the East Meadow jail. In June, that number jumped to 437 people.

At a news conference shortly after the tour by the lawmakers, Blakeman said “there is no evidence” to suggest anyone is being held longer than 72 hours.

“We are cooperating with ICE because it makes for a safer county … My own philosophy is, as President Trump said recently, there needs to be a program for people who’ve been here for a while so we can have something like a guest-worker program for them,” he said.

The federal government is reimbursing the county $195 per ICE detainee, per night, Blakeman said.

Immigrants held in local jails under Blakeman’s partnership with ICE must be transferred to a federal detention site or deported within three days, according to the agreement.

"I can’t say that conditions here were egregious," Solages said, describing detainees being fed lunch in their cells, having access to medical care and phones to call their attorneys. But, she added, several detainees were denied access to showers.

"It’s a shame that our country is closing its doors to individuals who are doing right by society — with no due process," she said.

There were 14 people being held in the ICE cells as of Wednesday, with one person per cell, Salazar said.

State law allows elected officials to visit correctional facilities "at their pleasure." Members of Congress also have the legal right to make unannounced visits to ICE  facilities.

Blakeman was given advance notice about the visit, according to Salazar.

Chief Deputy County Executive Arthur Walsh wrote in an email to Salazar’s staff on July 18: "If the Senator is still desirous to have a visit to our Correctional Facilities, kindly contact us to coordinate a mutually convenient date and time," according to the email obtained by Newsday.

But Salazar's staff did not schedule the visit with Blakeman's administration.

Two staffers from Blakeman’s office arrived just before 11 a.m. Nassau Corrections Commissioner and former Nassau Sheriff Michael Sposato, Deputy County Executive for Public Safety Tatum Fox and former State Sen. Robert DiCarlo, a Blakeman adviser, arrived shortly after.