OSWEGO – Protesters attended the Common Council meeting tonight, demanding that Mayor Robert Corradino and council members stop cooperating with ICE agents in Upstate NY. This follows the Immigration & Customs Enforcement raid on Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato.
Impassioned residents spoke out against the raid and the ICE presence in Oswego. “These are not criminals; these are our neighbors. They pay taxes and contribute to our economy,” voiced one speaker, “instead of safety, they are met with raids and deportation.”
Protesters who went to the Oswego Border Patrol station demanding information on detainees’ locations were met with less lethal weapons. Protesters claim that this action was meant to intimidate them.
One common sentiment shared by the speakers was that Oswego was once considered a safe haven for refugees, and its current administration is doing the opposite.
Chance Kennedy works closely with refugees and asylum seekers at Upstate Medical Center. “As of January 20th, patients have to decide whether they want to stay safe or come to their appointments,” said Kennedy. Kennedy claims that foreign patients have been no-showing appointments with both them and the offices they are referred to.
SUNY Oswego’s Kyle Dzintars once again spoke to the common council in defense of foreign students worried about going off campus. “I have thought a lot as I visited the rallies and protests at the border patrol office, of the irony of a deportation office being on the corner of Fort Ontario,” said Dzintars, “ The Safe Haven for refugees. Do we get to claim we are a safe place for refugees still?”
Councilmen Jesse Vanucchi, Kyle Walton, and John Gosek Jr. spoke to the protesters after the meeting. Vanucchi and Walton both voiced their support for the protesters. Gosek praised the protesters for exercising their 1stamendment rights and speaking out. Mayor Corradino recently released a statement via the City of Oswego facebook page:
A Message from Mayor Rob Corradino
In light of the recent events in Cato, where 57 individuals were detained by ICE agents, I feel compelled to speak—not only as the mayor of Oswego, but as the son of an immigrant whose story continues to shape my values and convictions.
This issue is deeply personal to me and the events of last week very upsetting. My mother arrived in America in 1948, a young woman from a small mountain village in Italy. She came with hope, courage, and little else. She didn’t speak the language, and like so many immigrants of her generation, she faced prejudice, isolation, and hardship. Yet she persevered. Side by side with my father and grandfather, she worked long hours in the family business while raising three children. Her love for this country was unwavering, and she proudly became a naturalized citizen—a moment she cherished deeply.
Her journey to America came just a few years after witnessing the horrors of war firsthand. She saw Nazi troops march into her village, and later, she rejoiced as American soldiers liberated it. That experience instilled in her a profound appreciation for freedom and opportunity—values she found in her new home, even when life here was difficult.
My mother’s story is not unique. It echoes the experiences of countless families who came to this country seeking safety, dignity, and a better life. That’s why the events in Cato are so troubling. No family living here legally should be subjected to fear, confusion, or the trauma of sudden detainment. We must do better.
To be clear, the City of Oswego and our police department had no involvement in the raid, nor were we informed beforehand. Our only connection is the presence of a Border Patrol facility on the east side of our city. Over the weekend, many residents gathered there in protest, some camping overnight. On Monday, our Common Council meeting was filled with passionate voices expressing concern, frustration, and a desire for change. I understand their anger. I share their belief that something must be done.
Immigration policy in America has evolved over centuries, often shaped more by politics than by compassion or practicality. But regardless of the era, our approach must reflect the values we claim to hold dear—justice, humanity, and respect for those who contribute to our communities.
I may be the mayor of a small city in upstate New York, but I believe our voices matter. I urge our federal representatives to take meaningful action to reform immigration policy and ensure that any enforcement is carried out with transparency, fairness, and dignity. My mother believed in the promise of America. I still do. And I know we can live up to it.
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Sounds like ICE NEEDS to Raid Oswego especially LOWE’S. As for the Soros/Obama PAID protesters they need to be rounded up then DEPORTED (WISHFUL THINKING SARCASM).
Supporting this natz regime is disgraceful, I pray they don’t come for you or yours someday….
Enough, Diana. It is not anything that you said these people are here legally end of conversation whether they criminals as far as selling drugs traffic in kids murder it doesn’t matter they’re criminals. They broke a law, which is this is how you get in the country, this is what you should do they didn’t do it. There are laws in place to become a US citizen that anyone can follow. The only thing the constitution says an illegal immigrant can have is a trial to plead their case. So let these people go to court have their day and prove that they shouldn’t be deported. Go try this crap in any other country in the world and watch what happens to people that enter illegally because what’s going on here in the United States is nothing compared to what illegal suffer around the globe so just take a breath and relax and try to look at things without emotion and start looking at things with some facts.
Round up all these socialist welfare queens on the bridge every Saturday and ship them all to Cuba so they can get first hand lessons in Anarcho-Communism they all long for.