Overview:
Flatbush residents, Haitian community advocates and elected officials are calling for the immediate release of Roberto Lamour, a Haitian father detained by ICE agents at his Flatbush home on Oct. 3. Residents allege that the agents identified themselves as NYPD officers to gain access to his apartment. Lamour was first held at a New Jersey detention facility before being transferred to Mississippi, far from his wife and young daughter. At an Oct. 22 news conference, Council Member Rita Joseph and community organizations joined neighbors in demanding his return.
Residents of Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood and community advocates are demanding the immediate release of Roberto Lamour, a Haitian father who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from his home earlier this month and transferred to Mississippi, more than 1,000 miles away from his wife and young daughter.
Lamour was taken from his apartment at 75 Lenox Road on the morning of Oct. 3, according to his family and neighbors. The circumstances of his arrest have drawn outrage from residents, who allege that the federal agents identified themselves as New York City police officers to gain access to the building and Lamour’s apartment.
Sign up for our free newsletters.
On Oct. 22, community members and elected officials gathered in Flatbush for a news conference organized by local advocates to demand Lamour’s release and his return to his wife, Darchnee, and their daughter, who is not yet 3 years old.
Rita Joseph, the New York City Council member representing the neighborhood, District 40, and chair of the Council Committee on Higher Education, joined Hands Off NYC and other community partners at the news conference. Joseph said her office was in contact with Lamour’s family and would continue advocating for his release.
“Roberto is our neighbor. He is a husband and a father whose young daughter deserves to have her father home,” Joseph said in a statement posted to Instagram.
Residents say agents posed as NYPD officers
Residents interviewed by amNewYork said several federal agents entered the apartment building by identifying themselves as NYPD officers. They said the agents repeated that claim at Lamour’s apartment door and demanded entry.
One resident, who identified herself as Angelina, told amNewYork that the occupants initially tried to cooperate with the people they believed were police officers. Once the door opened, she said, the agents entered the apartment, requested Lamour’s identification and took him into custody.
“Roberto is our neighbor. He is a husband and a father whose young daughter deserves to have her father home.”
Rita Joseph, New York City Council member representing District 40 in Brooklyn
Lamour’s wife initially believed her husband had been arrested by the NYPD, according to the report. She went to a local police precinct seeking his release, only to learn that he was not there.
The NYPD subsequently told amNewYork that it had no knowledge of or involvement in the incident.
Lamour was initially taken to Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, before being transferred to a detention center in Mississippi, according to amNewYork. The transfer has left him far from his family, his neighborhood and his lawyer.
Friends have said Lamour has no criminal record.
Family separation fuels community outrage
For Lamour’s family, the detention has meant more than the loss of his presence at home. His young daughter has struggled to understand why her father is gone.
In a statement reported by amNewYork, Darchnee Lamour described how their daughter reacts whenever someone rings the doorbell.
“She cries for him repeatedly, and whenever the doorbell rings, she runs to the door, believing that her father may have returned home,” she said.
“Seeing our young daughter search for her father and cry for him is heartbreaking,” Darchnee Lamour added. “At her young age, she cannot understand why he is no longer at home with us.”
The family’s separation has become a rallying point for neighbors and immigrant rights advocates, who say Lamour’s detention reflects the fear that immigration enforcement operations have created in immigrant communities.
The 75 Lenox Road Tenant Association joined the effort to bring Lamour home, alongside Hands Off NYC, the New York Immigration Coalition and Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, among other community partners.
At the Oct. 22 gathering, residents and elected officials called for Lamour’s immediate release and criticized the circumstances of his arrest. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also attended the rally, according to amNewYork.
For neighbors, the allegation that federal agents misrepresented themselves to enter the building has raised particular concern about the safety and security of residents in their own homes.
Joseph pledges continued advocacy
Joseph said her office was working with Lamour’s family and would continue coordinating with local, state and federal officials to press for his release.
“As a Haitian American and the Council Member representing this community, I stand firmly with Darchnee, the 75 Lenox Road Tenant Association, and all our neighbors who refuse to let Roberto be forgotten or isolated from the people who love him,” Joseph said.
She also condemned the separation of families through immigration enforcement, arguing that the detention has brought fear and uncertainty to the household.
“No family should have to live with the fear and uncertainty of a loved one being taken away from them,” Joseph said.
The council member pledged to use available resources to advocate for Lamour and called for immigration enforcement agents to stay out of New Yorkers’ homes and neighborhoods.
Admin Notices 0102
“We demand the immediate release of Roberto Lamour and his return home to his family in New York,” Joseph said.
As the campaign for Lamour’s release continues, his family and neighbors are calling on federal authorities to return him to Brooklyn, where his wife and young daughter are waiting for him.
Support our work
As an independent publication, we rely on contributions from readers like you to fund our journalism.
