victim. >> The immigration case of
Morales Reyes isn't the only one in Milwaukee raising
concerns. There's also Yessenia Ruano, a teacher's
aide in the public schools and mother who was told to
self-deport to El Salvador even though she has a
pending visa application for human trafficking victims
and no criminal history. Her immediate removal from the
U.S. Was put on hold for now. But local leaders have
taken a stand over the federal immigration
crackdown, releasing public statements in solidarity.
The Milwaukee Common Council declares Ice actions further
fuel anti-immigrant sentiment being pushed at
the national level. Council President Jose Perez joins
us now. And thanks very much for being here.
>> Thank you for having me here in the opportunity to
share the Common Council's view and the things we're
doing here in Milwaukee. >> Tell tell us more about
why you feel the council should weigh in on these
cases. These people. >> Well, you know, I think
Milwaukee has always been a welcoming place for
immigrants. Our council cares about fairness, about
process. And it's important that these things are held
front and center. You have teacher's aide who has been
entrusted by the community to look after our children.
Been here 14 years, no criminal record, and we want
a system that supports our milwaukeeans that way and
creates opportunities and a path for citizenship,
because that's what the American Dream is about. And
the Council felt compelled to show some solidarity
about what we consider as fairness in this broken
system that we have. >> How, in your mind, have
you seen a rush to judgment in these cases?
>> You know, when we think about the impact of human.
Trafficking, these things take time. These things we
feel deserve a due process. And in this case, having to
wait so long and then for the moment of having to
deport Self-deport in a community where we want and
need more teachers and people in education, there
is a rush to judgment and to be much more fair than that.
>> Does it feel like immigrants in your city and
across the state are not being given that that due
process or that that process is quick and can be too
often flawed? >> Yeah, well, it feels that
way, especially when it takes as long as it does.
People petition, have to wait years even in Yessenia
Reynolds case, 14 years to come to a conclusion. After
applying for the visa. It just takes a long time and
disparages people from staying within the process,
continuing to apply. It's expensive so that that sense
of it not being a fair process that is inclusive
creates lots of animosity about the hope that if you
do all the right things, in the end, you know, the
immigration process will make the right decision.
>> How does the kind of Ice enforcement that we've seen
recently tear at the fabric of your community?
>> Well, we have milwaukeeans that are
sending their children to school, are showing up for
work that have have done nothing wrong or are waiting
on the system, feeling that it's coming after them. And
the Latino community has been the Latino and
immigrant community has had a huge impact on the
economics in Milwaukee, have stabilized the population
growth. We're cranking out young people, educated,
going to college, and yet it doesn't feel like the sense
of the rate of return or the investment back in the
Latino immigrant community is, is making any sense. So
it's created fear. It's created a sense of not
wanting to participate. And we need we need public
safety. Very important. We need our immigrants to
always contact the police, to have all the confidence
that the system is working. And when they're in fear or
living in fear in the shadows, it's difficult to
do that. >> Does the attention that
you and others are putting on these cases, these people
forced the Department of Homeland Security, do you
think, to afford more thoughtful kind of
enforcement, including due process?
>> Well, that's what we're hoping. We're hoping that
the attention we're we're providing to it isn't one of
agitation or being antagonistic. But when we
see good people in our community that have invested
time and energy, that are doing the right things,
we're calling on the system. To be fair. We're calling on
the system to really look at the folks and the fabric of
our community. What makes it up, and really being
conscious about that. We don't we don't always feel
that that's the case. >> Have you or the council
had communication with Ice or the Trump administration.
Not directly. I know that we that would be something for
us to consider. I know that we've reached out to our
congressional reps when we hear of things in the
community hoping that since at that federal level, they
can communicate with Ice around the truth, around
either raids or why people are deported, or figuring
out this list, how does someone make this list of
folks that are being either we hear that they're they're
following people in communities. They're pulling
them over. And sometimes we want to know what is the
criteria to make this list. So we're educated about
these stops, knowing why they're doing what they're
doing. But we haven't heard a word.
>> Council President Jose >> Council President Jose