On Wednesday, February 11, members of the Milwaukee Common Council introduced a package of proposed legislation dubbed “ICE Out Milwaukee.” The package includes items that would go into effect if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations begin to ramp up in the City of Milwaukee.
You can watch the press conference below. Below that you’ll find six of our takeaways.
1. The people are demanding (preemptive) action
Lest one think the members of the Common Council represented at last week’s “ICE Out Milwaukee” press conference are going rogue, 12th District Alderman and Common Council President José Pérez said that they’re simply doing their jobs: representing their constituents.
“As alderpersons, we are the elected representatives closest to the residents of our city,” Pérez said. “People are demanding we both say and do something on behalf of the voiceless in our city. In our communities and amongst ourselves, we have been working to prepare for what we consider the unknown. This is always a great challenge, yet, and still, in overwhelming numbers our residents have told us, ‘You need to have a plan. You need to create a plan. You need to protect the voiceless.'”
“I’ve represented a super majority of Latinos and a historically immigrant population for my entire tenure in elected office,” said 8th District Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa. “We are taking preemptive action today to protect Milwaukeeans from ICE. We will not stand idly by and allow people to become abused at the hands of untrained federal agents surging in our city. While we cannot do everything, we will do everything that we can.”
2. “ICE Out Milwaukee” includes items requiring federal agents to be unmasked, along with items that prevent federal agents from staging on city properties
So what’s actually included in the “ICE Out Milwaukee” package? Well…
“We are putting forth legislation to require all law enforcement interacting with our constituents to be unmasked, and to display visible identification for full transparency, in an effort to deescalate fear, tensions, and confusion,” Zamarripa explained. “Additionally, we are putting forth legislation to bar ICE agents from staging on city properties like our city parks, our libraries, et cetera. Safe spaces are safe places for all Milwaukeeans.”
3. “ICE Out Milwaukee” would also create something called the Office of New Milwaukeeans
According to 14th District Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, “ICE Out Milwaukee” is also about welcoming people into Milwaukee. A newly established program called the Office of New Milwaukeeans would serve as a resource for new immigrants, and would help the city reach a 1-million population goal previously touted by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
“We are excited to join many other cities across our country […] that have a welcoming office,” Dimitrijevic said. “What would it look like when we try to get to that million mark that has been set out by our administration for a high population in the City of Milwaukee? It will be in a path through our immigrant community. We are going to double down in the City of Milwaukee and invest in growing our population, which will have a direct impact on our economic activity and make this city stronger and more welcoming to everybody.
“When the Office of New Milwaukeeans starts after this ‘ICE Out’ package, everybody in the City of Milwaukee will be welcome at all times,” Dimitrijevic continued. “That’s how you grow a city. That’s how you invest in a population. And we are planning to welcome everybody, a welcome package, a way to get connected to hospitals, businesses, our community. That’s how you build a strong community.”
4. “ICE Out Milwaukee” is also about protecting everyone’s constitutional rights
What will the Milwaukee Police Department do if ICE surges in Milwaukee? That was a question that loomed over a beyond-packed February 2 town hall meeting at Vivarium, hosted by 3rd District Alderman Alex Brower. Brower spoke at last week’s ICE Out press conference as well.
“Part of this package is going to protect the constitutional rights of Milwaukeeans should ICE decide to have a surge here, and protect our constitutional rights currently,” Brower said. “We demand that the Milwaukee Police Department do their job and protect the rights of every single person, and part of our legislation will be calling on them to do that. […] We have communities that are scared, but there are also communities that are angry. They want to take action. The East Side and other parts of this city are ready to take action and protest, and we are demanding that their rights be protected when they do so.”
5. Accordingly, city leaders are calling on everyone to get involved
Emilio De Torre, executive director of the Milwaukee Turners, used last week’s press conference as a call-to-action for everyone in the community.
“This proposed legislation package is a step toward transparency and accountability, a step toward affirming our commitment and building a beloved community. This is an important thing that local government is able to do for us, and there are other important things that the community needs to do now,” De Torre said. “Everyday people need to get educated, get involved, support their neighbors and friends, and stop responding to bots and trolls on social media. [Emphasis ours, ha] We invite the people of Milwaukee to partner in their communities in any way that is helpful. Help with mutual aid, legal observing, teach-ins, tutoring. Feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to know how to connect.”
6. Nothing is guaranteed
Multiple speakers at last week’s press conference stressed that “ICE Out Milwaukee” is a package of proposed legislation, and that much of that proposed legislation still needs to be drafted, legally reviewed, and introduced into the agendas of various city committees. So stay tuned for further coverage in the weeks and months ahead.
“We actually think we’ll add even more to this package, because many of our colleagues that are here are interested in that conversation,” Dimitrijevic said. “It is time. This is not the end. It’s actually just the beginning of our action, standing up for the City of Milwaukee.”
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