Video circulating on social media shows a Long Island immigration activist being put in a headlock and carried out of a ticketed International Women’s Day event at Fogo de Chão in Huntington on Friday. The brief but forceful removal, witnessed by local organizers and attendees, has already triggered dueling statements from elected officials and the activist’s group, with both sides arguing the clip proves their point about a simmering fight over immigration policy and public protest in Islip and nearby communities.
What the video shows
The short clip, shared by the advocacy group, appears to show Joshua Chan, identified by organizers as deputy director of Islip Forward, being seized by a man in a suit and carried toward the exit. As reported by Daily Voice, that man has been identified in reporting as Luis Montes Brito, who is described as chief of staff to Suffolk County Legislator Sam Gonzalez. Islip Forward has labeled the removal an assault in its social posts and press materials.
Officials react
State Senator Monica Martinez posted on Instagram that she has "been a target of Islip Forward before" and described the group’s tactics as "a campaign of harassment" that she says "crossed into dangerous territory." Instagram also carries her allegation that the activist used a disguise and falsified information to get into the ticketed event. The exchange, which includes Chan shouting at Martinez as he was removed, quickly drew public statements from both the senator and the advocacy group.
Background
The confrontation is the latest flashpoint in a years-long local dispute over immigration enforcement. Islip Forward runs a well-known Long Island ICE tracker and organizes protests around county contracts, according to its site. The removal took place at Fogo de Chão in Huntington Station, which lists a Walt Whitman Road address on the restaurant’s site. Chan was previously removed from an Islip meeting after an August 2025 vote on the town’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a prior incident noted in coverage of the new clip.
The latest video has reignited local debate and prompted calls from both sides for accountability. Local officials and Islip Forward did not provide immediate, detailed public responses beyond the social posts and statements cited in the reporting.
