Huntington Tea Party Stands With Arizona

The Conservative Society for Action, a Long Island Tea Party affiliate, held a "Stand With Arizona" rally at the Huntington intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Stowe Avenue on Sunday afternoon. Close to 50 people took part in the protest, one of several held throughout Long Island this weekend, which had a theme of Tea Party support for the controversial immigration policies of Arizona.

"The United States should enforce its immigration laws." said David Russo, a Manhattan resident and a member of the New York City-based organization, New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement (NY ICE). "We don't need to have a comprehensive immigration reform bill. We have perfectly good laws on the books."

But some Tea Party protesters attended Sunday's rally for reasons more personal than political.

"My brother served in the Marine Corps for 26 years," said JoAnn Riggio of Deer Park. "He is now deceased, and I am carrying on here, what he is carrying on in heaven."

Grace Colucci, Conservative Society for Action event coordinator and an organizer of Sunday's rally, said that  she feels that the United States government is not taking the necessary steps to effectively secure its borders.

"This is a nationally coordinated effort," Colucci said in regard to Tea Party strategy. "[We] are standing in solidarity with Arizona because we, too, want our borders protected."