The surge of ICE and Customs
and Border Control Enforcement
Action across the border in
Minnesota has resulted in
the arrest of more than 3,000
people, according to the agencies,
which say the operation there will
continue.
Will that kind of escalated force
come here?
Advocates for immigrants in
Wisconsin believe Milwaukee will
soon be a target.
That includes Darrell Morin, the
National President of Forward
Latino.
He joins us from the Milwaukee area.
Thanks very much for being here.
Well, thank you for having me here.
So you have said that it's
your and others' belief that ICE
will undertake a widespread
operation in Milwaukee.
What information do you have that
that's going to happen?
Well, yes, over the last couple
of weeks, there's been a growing
consensus at all levels
of government here in Wisconsin that
pending dramatic
change in priorities, there
will be a large scale
enforcement action
here in the state of Wisconsin.
We're seeing that they have just
under 3,500.
Agents up there in Minneapolis and
daily we see them coming into
Western Wisconsin, probing,
detaining individuals, attempting to
detain others, et cetera.
And I think it's the firm belief of
many that it's just a matter of time
before they come all the way
down to southeastern Wisconsin.
And uh... What would bring them to
southeastern wisconsin
Well, we know there's a huge
population here in
southeastern Wisconsin.
Not too many people know this.
Wisconsin, our Hispanics are the
largest minority population
in the state of Wisconsin.
And there's obviously a tremendous
population down here
in the southeaster part, as well as
in rural areas throughout the state,
in our farms, in our dairies, et
cetera.
So everything we've heard is that
there there is sincere
interest at the highest levels
to come to Wisconsin.
Do you think that the extent of
what's unfolded in Minneapolis would
happen in Milwaukee?
Tragically, yes, as we've been
working with our partners in
Los Angeles, in New Orleans,
in Charlotte, et cetera,
we've seen the significant
enforcement actions take place.
And most troubling, most concerning
about that is that individuals
for no probable
cause are being detained, are being
threatened, in some cases being
even assaulted.
So it's a tremendous concern,
not just for immigrant population,
but for Wisconsinites in general.
I know that Milwaukee police
policy is that they will not detain
or arrest an individual solely for
suspected violation of immigration
law, and President Trump has
dubbed both Madison and Milwaukee
sanctuary cities, although that is
not an official kind of
status.
How does that factor into whether
the administration surges in
Wisconsin?
Well, I think there's a lot of
political calculations that are
going into that, quite honestly.
With regards to law enforcement's
response, I tell you, those are
discussions we're having every day.
We only need to turn on the news to
see what is happening in other
places, as I mentioned, to
U.S. Citizens and immigrants alike
where their rights are being
violated.
And what we're gonna be asking law
enforcement to do here is to do
their job.
And if they see...
A resident of Wisconsin
being assaulted, being unlawfully
detained. We're gonna ask them to
intervene. They're here to
protect us.
And sadly, we're seeing our
federal agents that are supposed to
be doing the same doing the
opposite. So we're
very concerned.
I will also share this.
As I speak with business
leaders around the state, farmers,
dairy farmers as well,
there's a growing consensus that as
a purple state, Any kind
of large-scale operation here in
Wisconsin would actually cost more
votes than when being a
purple state We're hoping the
administration takes that into
account before making the
final decision to come here
To your understanding, how prepared
are Milwaukee police and city
leaders and others should Milwaukee
become a powder keg?
Well, we've been working with
our partners around the state, both
in the private sector, non-private
sector and government sectors.
We've been very pleased that
everyone is taking prudent,
prudent steps to make sure that the
residents and citizenry of
Wisconsin will be protected.
So can't go too far into details
on that, but we're grateful for
the partnerships we have with many
members of law enforcement and
government, as well as our private
and non-profit partners.
How has the immigration enforcement
changed the lives of people and
families and communities, even
lawfully present people?
Well, there's tremendous fear.
Once again, it's one thing
if we were seeing enforcement action
truly going after the worst of the
worst, but that's not what's
happening here.
We're seeing over 70%
of people who are being detained
have no criminal record.
We're saying US citizens and those
lawfully present detained, even US
veterans that have served our nation
with dignity and honor.
So there's a tremendous fear here.
We're seen people are going out
less, they're spending less,
they're driving less.
We're seeing absenteeism in
schools and in workplaces
tick up.
So it is
having a significant impact.
And should things escalate further,
I think we could see a
significant shift in the
productivity across the entire state
if they were to come here and force.
You have urged preparation for
ICE enforcement.
What does that look like?
So as I share this information
today, I don't want to be causing
panic, right?
It's time for thoughtful
preparation.
It's for our governments and law
enforcement agencies to prepare, and
it's time for people who may be at
risk to prepare to put
things in place.
I'll share with you, last time we
saw a significant increase in
immigration enforcement, we were
getting calls from school districts
asking what we could do to assist
them because their parents weren't
here anymore to pick them up from
school.
We're working with people
in the healthcare field to
discuss how can we safely move
people back and forth who
are going to be in need of dialysis
and other treatments, as well as how
are we going to dispense food, once
again, to people who no longer feel
safe leaving their home.
So there's quite a bit of work going
into this right now at every
level.
Glad to be able to do the work, but
sad that it's needed
nonetheless.
We leave it there, Daryl, Maureen,
thanks so much.
Thank you.
That just sent chills down
my spine, and it's not just because
it's cold, it
really feels like it's on the
horizon and it is so frightening.
Yeah, it is.
And we're getting calls every day.
In addition, I didn't go into this,
but you know, we're gettin' the fake
stuff every day, too.
People looking to consume our
resources, etc.,
whether it be time or financial,
etc. So it really is
a game of cat and mouse, things I
never thought we were gonna have to
be involved in, quite honestly.
But thank you so much for letting
us share this message and
highlighting this important
challenge that we're facing right
now.
Thank you. We will stay in touch
as the days and weeks
go on. Thank you
Sounds great, take care, bye bye.
Thank you, you as well.