Activists are questioning Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for pushing the E-Verify program in the county.

Despite the fact that County Executive Steve Levy intended to present legislation on Tuesday that would have forced contractors in the area to review the immigration status of their new employees, the proposal did not happen.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy 

Luis Valenzuela, from the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, explained that Levy was unable to present his proposal because another similar law already existed.  Valenzuela said the law had been introduced in 2008 but had not been implemented.

"The problem with these laws is that they duplicate existing federal laws, that they are unnecessary, and that they target Latino day laborers," said Valenzuela.

Carlos Canales, an organizer with Center for Labor Rights in Long Island, said that Levy had narrowed his attack on immigrants following the hate crime against Marcelo Lucero in 2008 in Patchogue, but that he was reinitiating his anti-immigrant campaign this year.

 "When the Lucero incident took place, he (Levy) stopped his anti-immigrant campaign.  But today he returns with this new attack," commented Canales.

Canales explained that federal programs such as E-Verify, which requires that the immigration status of a worker be requested when being contracted, and Secure Communities are being implemented secretly in Suffolk County.

For Reverend Allan Ramirez, a pro-immigrant activist in Suffolk and Nassau counties, this is a Levy strategy to get re-elected.

"Levy knows well that he does not have the votes to pass the legislation. The only reason he is doing this is to create an atmosphere so that his followers think he is continuing to battle for white communities," said Ramirez.

Ramirez explained that Suffolk is a very racist county and that Levy takes these measures to get more publicity, despite the fact that he knows they promote more terror and hate for immigrant communities.

Valenzuela agrees that Levy's attitude is a political statement to win votes.

Canales explained that the law being proposed by Levy would not affect many immigrants directly because the majority of those who work with contractors in the county are documented.

"The impact is more psychological.  It is a campaign of terror," said Canales.

The Office of Suffolk County Executive was contacted for comment for this article, with no response.