OntheWilderSide

KW: Democratic Party politician Steve Levy is the Suffolk County Executive. Under his tenure, there have been many proposals and many controversies about getting tough on the immigration issue. In 2007, the Green Party of Suffolk County ran a candidate against Steve Levy, largely as a way to reject Steve Levy’s anti-immigrant stances and rhetoric.

Steve Levy was re-elected as County Executive in 2007. Though, with current events–including the murder of immigrant Marcelo Lucero by teenagers who said they were “hunting Mexicans”–the community is taking a fresh look at Steve Levy and his interaction with the immigration issue.

The latest controversy is an unpleasant joke Levy told at a fundraiser. Newsday reported the joke. The Daily News has just published an excellent opinion piece on the situation: here. (Excerpts only at read more.)

(excerpt from) The Daily News
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy’s immigration joke no laughing matter
Sunday, August 9th 2009, 4:00 AM

…Newsday reports that Levy asked someone in the audience, who happened to be a Canadian native, if he was a U.S. citizen. The man answered that he was, to which Levy is reported to have said that was good, because if he wasn’t “I’d have to deport you, like the guys back there in the kitchen.”

Isn’t that funny? The “guys back there in the kitchen” must have been rolling with laughter.

Especially because the jokester was the same person who in 2007 had asked county cops and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to raid homes where illegal immigrants were believed to be living…

Related Video: Luis Valenzuela (quoted in The Daily News Story) speaks last year at a Babylon Green Party Meeting: Green Party Show: Immigration Update

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22luis+valenzuela%22+%22green%22&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#]

Filed under: 3rd party, elections, Green Party, immigration, local, long island, Long Island Politics, News, politics, progressive politics, social & economic justice, third party, US Politics Tagged: | 2007 Elections, babylon green party, County Executive, Green Party, immigration, Luis Valenzuela, steve levy, Suffolk County