ICE detains 2 SUNY Upstate Medical University workers
Two SUNY Upstate Medical University employees were detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, their respective unions said. Corey Henry | Daily Orange File Photo
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
UPDATE: This post was updated at 12:20 p.m. on October 30, 2025.
Two SUNY Upstate Medical University employees were detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Wednesday.
The men were taken into custody before entering immigration court hearings to finalize their legal status, the Civil Service Employees Association said in a release.
Both employees worked in the environmental services department at SUNY Upstate, a state-owned hospital in Syracuse. They have worked in New York state since 2022 and 2024, respectively, according to CSEA.
In a Thursday morning statement to The Daily Orange, a SUNY Upstate spokesperson said, to their knowledge, the employees had the legal authority to live and work in the U.S. and were “productive members of the community.”
“These hard-working employees are an integral part of our hospital’s Environmental Services team which we depend upon to maintain a safe environment for patient care,” the spokesperson said. “They are a respected part of the Upstate family, and we are working to support them.”
One employee is a CSEA member, while the other is represented by Upstate United University Professions.
In a Wednesday night statement to The D.O., UUP President Frederick Kowal said the union would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with its members, fighting for the right to due process.
“(The men) acted in good faith to finalize their legal status,” Kowal said. “But as we have seen over and over under the anti-immigrant regime in place in Washington D.C., they were met with handcuffs.”
In its statement, CSEA said it stands in solidarity with the workers and called the detainment of people following the legal process “unjust” and “inhumane.”
“They are part of our Upstate family, they are our co-workers, our neighbors, and valued contributors to the hospital and community,” CSEA President Mary Sullivan said in the statement. “No one should be punished for following the law. Our union members and all hospital employees deserve dignity, respect and the chance to live and work without fear.”
The reason ICE detained the employees is “unclear,” Kowal said, and they are currently being held in a federal detention facility in Batavia, awaiting potential deportation.
ICE did not immediately respond to The D.O.’s request for comment.
This post will be updated with additional information.
