Wisconsin Democrats are pushing legislation to block state officials and resources from being used to detain anyone in the state on an immigration matter without a warrant, whether the individual is a citizen or not.
Democratic leadership spoke about the contributions of undocumented immigrants to Wisconsin’s economy and said that all in the state should be protected against unlawful searches and seizures.
“We want people and Wisconsin’s kids to feel safe in Wisconsin schools, places of worship, places where child-care services are provided and places where medical or other health-care services are provided,” said Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, D-Milwaukee. “Kids deserve to feel safe in school. People deserve to seek medical care without fear of separation or detainment.”
The bill does not apply to cases where there is a judicial warrant.
The bill comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are arresting nearly 1,000 people every day set to be deported since President Donald Trump has been in office.
Those working with ICE include agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Marshals Service.
The state is not required to help the federal agencies, Ortiz-Velez added.
Wisconsin currently has 70,000 undocumented workers, Ortiz-Velez said.
“By removing those people, the vast majority of which serve no public threat, it will make it difficult for Wisconsin to deliver to the residents of our great state the resources we need to feed our families,” Ortiz-Velez said.
