Immigrant rights advocates, activists and attorneys say that fear and confusion among Milwaukee’s immigrant community is spiking.
“There’s just been so much that I can’t keep up with it,” said Sklkime Abduli, owner and managing attorney of Abduli Immigration Law.
On the Northwest Side of the city, a potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, facility is adding to the confusion.
Members of the public will have their first formal opportunity to observe the city’s conversation about the facility at the next meeting of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Alderwoman Larresa Taylor, who represents District 9, held a news conference earlier this month during which leaders and organizers voiced strong opposition to the presence of ICE in her district.
Those present included county supervisors, activists and other alders, including Alderman José Pérez, chair of the zoning committee and president of the Milwaukee Common Council.
The background
NNS obtained from the City of Milwaukee a copy of application materials from the owner of the property in question, at 11925 W. Lake Park Drive.
Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, is not mentioned, the documents state that a portion of the building will be used as a government office for the main Southeastern Wisconsin office for immigration officers and staff where processing of “non-detained report-ins” and of “detainees for transport to holding facilities” will take place.
Hours after Taylor held the news conference, the City of Milwaukee Department of Community Development informed her office that the federal government will be invoking its authority to bypass standard steps required to modify the building.
Taylor then released a statement saying that the issue of a potential ICE facility should be heard during a committee meeting so “a public and transparent discussion” can take place because constituents’ “voices deserve to be heard on this issue that affects our district and city.”
What does the zoning committee do?
The zoning committee is made up of five alders and oversees zoning and property development throughout the city.
Initial committee meetings like the one Taylor has requested are generally for internal fact-gathering, said Chris Lee, staff assistant for the zoning committee.
Alderman Robert Bauman, District 4, who serves on the zoning committee, said that the point of the discussion is the zoning codes’ applicability to federal installations and federal leases.
“The main issue that we want to get on the record is that the city zoning process has no jurisdiction over a federal facility,” he said.
The Department of Community Development, the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services, the Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office and the City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission have been asked to participate in the meeting.
Letter from City Attorney’s Office
During Taylor’s news conference, Pérez said that options to fight against an ICE facility in District 9 include “legal appeal or by the screaming of our voices.” However, in a letter to Taylor, the City Attorney’s Office stated that options for this first tactic are limited.
There are some ways for the city to delay the ICE facility, the letter stated, but there are no definitive ways to legally oppose it.
Federal law “strips state and local governments of their zoning, building code and other regulatory powers when the construction or alteration of building is sought by a federal agency,” the letter stated.
Details about the meeting
The public will not have the opportunity to comment about the potential ICE facility during this zoning committee meeting.
The decision to allow public comment is typically made by the chair of the committee, but the committee can oppose and vote on the decision, Lee said.
Pérez, the committee’s chair, did not respond to multiple requests for comment about reasons for this decision.
The meeting is open for the public to observe, online and in person.
It is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Milwaukee City Hall, 200 E. Wells Street, in Room 301-B. More information about directions can be found here.
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