Several Milwaukee Common Council members gathered at City Hall Wednesday to announce plans for “ICE Out Milwaukee,” a new legislative package that would restrict how federal immigration agents operate in the city.
Supporters say the measures are intended to reduce fear among immigrant residents and clarify the city’s role in relation to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. ICE is preparing to relocate its Milwaukee operations from downtown to 11925 W. Lake Park Drive on the Northwest Side.
A joint statement from members of the Common Council stated that ICE Out Milwaukee “establishes clear, lawful and just boundaries between federal civil immigration enforcement and City of Milwaukee residents, while affirming the City’s responsibility to govern with clarity, dignity, and public trust.”
Growing anxiety over ICE
Some spectators at Wednesday’s announcement described feeling a growing anxiety about ICE, particularly after the high-profile shooting deaths in Minnesota of ICE observers Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
“It’s like a catastrophe headed our way,” said Ann Ritchie, who held an anti-ICE sign.
A major ICE enforcement operation hasn’t occurred in Wisconsin but some leaders have warned residents and others to prepare for that possibility.
Ritchie, who attended Wednesday’s announcement on behalf of her church, said she has been waiting for an organized response from local leaders, politicians and the Milwaukee Police Department regarding ICE enforcement.
“What is MPD going to do?” Ritchie asked. “What do you do if someone holds you down and pepper sprays you?”
Details of the proposal
The legislative proposals would bar ICE agents from staging operations on city-owned property, require law enforcement officials who interact with residents to be unmasked and display visible identification and create a new city office to help connect immigrant families with services.
These efforts are to help “de-escalate fear, tensions and confusion,” Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa said during the press conference.
Common Council President José Pérez said fear is already affecting people’s daily routines.
People are afraid of “being separated from their families – are afraid to go to work. They’re not sending their kids to school, or seeking the needed medical attention,” Pérez said.
Police union response
Milwaukee Police Association President Alex Ayala told NNS the union is reviewing the proposed package and will scrutinize any changes that affect officers’ duties or working conditions.
The bottom line, he said, is that any directive must be lawful and consistent with the department’s collective bargaining agreement.
Next steps
The proposals were introduced this week and are expected to be assigned to committees and move through the council’s committee process in the coming weeks.
Several members of the Common Council and Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors are hosting a community meeting titled, “Safety in Numbers: Protecting Our Historically Immigrant South Side,” on Wednesday, Feb. 25. That meeting will take place at Alverno College’s Christopher Hall Wehr Auditorium, 4100 W. Morgan Ave., at 5:30 p.m.
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