The first piece of a so-called “ICE Out Milwaukee” legislative package began its journey through City Hall on Monday. The item, a substitute resolution “relating to law enforcement and constitutional rights,” was approved by the Milwaukee Common Council’s Judiciary & Legislative Committee.
The item will now move to the Public Safety & Health Committee, which is scheduled to meet March 12. If approved there, the item would need final approval from the full Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Resolution co-sponsor Alderman Alex Brower introduced the item on Monday, describing it as a call for “constitutional rights to be protected here in the City of Milwaukee, and for our police department and everybody else to work to protect our constitutional rights.”
“Given what’s going on in other cities right now, ICE is coming into other cities and completely violating not just protests, but all sorts of constitutional rights of individuals that they are either abducting or otherwise,” Brower said. “The purpose behind this resolution is to declare our position that we stand in opposition to that, and call on everyone who can do something about this to do it, including our police.”
The official summary of the resolution reads thusly:
This resolution calls upon the Milwaukee Police Department to protect the rights of community members when they engage in constitutionally protected speech and assembly, and intervene to protect community members if anyone, including other law enforcement agency personnel, attempts to abridge the public’s constitutional rights.
The resolution is co-sponsored by alders Marina Dimitrijevic, JoCasta Zamarripa, José Pérez, and Sharlen Moore. Alderman Bob Bauman added himself as a co-sponsor at Monday’s committee meeting.
“ICE Out Milwaukee” was announced by members of the Common Council on February 11. The package includes preemptive items related to possible future Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Milwaukee, such as requiring federal agents to be unmasked and to display identification.
Brower received criticism last week for issuing a press release that seemed to suggest a “major ICE operation” was imminent or already underway in Milwaukee. Previous social media rumors of such operations have been false.
Here’s the full text of Monday’s resolution:
Whereas, There are credible reports that federal law enforcement members are physically assaulting members of the public while they are exercising their constitutionally protected rights to speak and assemble, without probable cause that the victims were engaged in any illegal activity; and
Whereas, Members of law enforcement agencies should not be allowed to break the law or violate the constitution simply because they are employed as law enforcement agents; and
Whereas, All residents of the City of Milwaukee, including immigrants and migrants, contribute to our community; and
Whereas, All people who contribute to our community deserve a police department that defends them from violations of their constitutional rights, even if the individuals depriving their constitutional rights work for another law enforcement agency; and
Whereas, While bringing suit in court is an avenue that can be used to seek redress from constitutional violations, the public also expects that their local police department will actively defend them when their constitutional rights are actively violated; and
Whereas, The Milwaukee Police Department has expended tremendous effort to build trust between it and the public it serves, and that trust would be endangered if people are allowed to violate our residents’ constitutional rights without any effort made by our local police department to stop or investigate it; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, That members of the Milwaukee Police Department are called upon to protect the rights of community members when they engage in constitutionally protected speech and assembly, and intervene to protect community members if anyone, including other law enforcement agency personnel, attempts to abridge the public’s constitutional rights.
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