Armed Migrant Busted Under Nassau's New "No-Mask" Law

By Rupert Deedes

An armed masked migrant was arrested while prowling to commit armed robbery, thanks to the prompt response of Nassau Police - and Nassau County's new "No Masks" Law.

Omar Ramirez Castillo, a recent migrant from Guatemala was arrested while stalking potential victims in Hicksville.  He was spotted lurking down Spindle Road, a residential street in Hicksville, wearing dark clothes and a ski mask on a scorching day in August.

A resident identified his suspicious behavior and called the police.  When the police apprehended and frisked him, they found a 14-inch knife in the waistband of his pants.

Ramirez is the first man to face charges under the mask ban law, a new measure passed last month in Nassau County. He is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and a violation of the mask law.

“Our police officers were able to use the mask ban legislation as well as other factors to stop and interrogate an individual who was carrying a weapon with the intent to engage in a robbery,” stated Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. “Passing this law gave our police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal.”

The law bans wearing masks while committing other crimes. It was enacted in response to radical demonstrators who covered their faces while threatening and harassing elderly and other people in mass transit and on public streets.

Opponents of the new law said that protesters cover their faces to avoid online harassment, but more than a few of activists exploited the anonymity the mask offered to engage in vandalism, harassment and acts of blatant anti-Semitism.

The Nassau County Mask Transparency Act, makes it a misdemeanor to wear a face covering in public while engaging in another crime. Violators could face a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both.