PHOTO CREDIT: Evan Casey
Voces De La Frontera and members of the Jewish community protest outside of the Milwaukee ICE office in August.
Voces De La Frontera is continuing to put pressure on the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission to change a procedure that says that Milwaukee Police Department officers can help out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in their arrests. This comes after ICE released news of an “enforcement surge” across the Midwest, which resulted in the arrest of at least three Milwaukee individuals.
Thursday night the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission could discuss changes to the MPD’s Standard Operating Procedure 130, which generally says that the MPD can collaborate with ICE when needed. SOP 130 says:
"The U.S. Department of State requires the assistance of state and local law enforcement authorities in carrying out the treaty obligations of the United States concerning the detention or arrest of foreign nationals and contacts with foreign diplomats in this country. The cooperation of state and local law enforcement authorities is essential to carry out these obligations effectively, and to ensure that Americans arrested or detained abroad obtain the treatment to which they are entitled."
Voces is saying that changes would create stronger safeguards against collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE. “These changes would ensure that no information, resources or people are transferred to ICE unless there is a judicial warrant,” Voces said in a press release.
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Voces is also asking that ICE not use MPD officers to conduct raids. They say changes will improve public safety and decrease racial profiling.
Last week, MPD officers assisted ICE in a separate arrest of Milwaukee man Jose De la Cruz-Espinosa. He was detained by ICE agents because they had a warrant for a probation charge on him, according to the MPD. MPD officers were called to the site after the family of De la Cruz-Espinosa refused to get out of their vehicle when ICE agents approached him. ICE agents asked for assistance from an MPD officer, who according to a statement from Voces De La Frontera, opened the vehicle for ICE.
The De la Cruz family.
Kristine De la Cruz will speak before the Fire and Police Commission (MFPC) Thursday, along with other community members. The meeting will begin at 5:30 at city hall. MPD Chief Alfonso Morales has not yet weighed in on the incident. Mayor Tom Barrett asked the MFPC to look into the matter last week.
ICE Arrested 11 in Wisconsin
ICE released information last week about their enforcement surge, which included the arrests of 97 individuals across the Midwest. They included information on two Milwaukee men who were taken in a press release.
- "ICE officers arrested a 24-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Milwaukee. He has two felony domestic assault convictions – one is for strangling and suffocating his victim. He remains in ICE custody pending the disposition of his immigration case.”
- "ICE officers arrested a 36-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Milwaukee. He has a DUI conviction and an outstanding criminal arrest warrant in Wisconsin. He remains in ICE custody pending the disposition of his immigration proceedings.”
Lucas Weighs In
Tuesday, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas released a statement in response to the ICE Chicago Field Office’s attempt to misrepresent the facts surrounding the arrest of De la Cruz Espinoza. Sheriff Lucas said the following:
“By placing the responsibility for the arrest of Mr. De La Cruz Espinoza on the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, ICE has engaged in an egregious attempt to misrepresent facts. This marks yet another attempt on ICE’s part to point a finger at local law enforcement for not performing ICE’s own duties, and to take attention away from ICE’s horrific act of terrorizing a family, thereby having a chilling effect on our community.”
