Contact: Katie Crawley
September 26, 2018 608-266-4611

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents completed a four-day Wisconsin
“enforcement surge”. Twenty residents of Madison were taken without notice. We speak collectively in calling these recent actions what they clearly are: racist and xenophobic.

We are heartbroken as we consider the plight of our Madison residents who were literally taken from their homes, their place of work or, in some cases, parking lots. These are our friends and neighbors, who, with the rest of Wisconsin, live, work and raise their families. Although these terrifying multiday ICE actions appear to be over, at least for now, the wording of the release from ICE officials criminalizes our community and creates a false narrative about our immigrant communities. We know better. Immigrants are productive members of our neighborhoods, our schools, our communities and our state, providing services in area businesses, paying taxes and trying to raise their children, just like the rest of us.

Our families and our children have been terrorized and traumatized. We join with the Latino
Consortium for Action, Dane County Immigration Collaborative and Voces de la Frontera when they collectively stated, “These ICE actions have had a horrific effect on our community that will last long after they leave. We are continuing to work to support our communities and families.”

This federal administration is already under scrutiny and criticism for separating children from parents. Clearly that practice continues. The continued policy of family separation and
detention is not American, it is not part of the welcoming community we strive to be. Our
country is a country of immigrants, we have welcomed each other for hundreds of years. We join with Senator Tammy Baldwin, Congressman Mark Pocan and other caring members of our federal congressional delegation in strongly opposing this action.

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