How a Brush With Mall Security Can Lead to Arrest by Border Patrol

How a Brush With Mall Security Can Lead to Arrest by Border Patrol

For one western New York man, an ongoing 10-month stint in federal immigration detention began with a suburban ritual: browsing at a mall department store. On a Saturday evening in February, JMA, as he’s identified in court filings, was looking at belts at a Macy’s in Cheektowaga, outside of Buffalo. A security guard accused him of trying to steal one of the belts; JMA replied that he was shopping and hoping to purchase it, according to a court …

This Upstate NY police department has a pattern of calling Border Patrol after minor incidents

At least 15 immigrants have been detained after interactions with Cheektowaga officers in 2025, including cases where no charges were filed.