Darryl Morin on Anticipating ICE Operations in Wisconsin

Frederica Freyberg:
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 Darryl Morin, the national president of Forward Latino. He joins us from the Milwaukee area. Thanks very much for being here.

Darryl Morin:
Thank you for having me here.

Frederica Freyberg:
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?

Darryl Morin:
Well, yes. Over the last couple of weeks, there’s been a growing consensus at all levels of government here in Wisconsin that pending a 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, etc. 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.

Frederica Freyberg:
And what would bring them to southeastern Wisconsin?

Darryl Morin:
Well, we know there’s a huge population here in southeastern Wisconsin. Not too many people know this. Wisconsin — Hispanics are the largest minority population in the state of Wisconsin. And there’s obviously a tremendous population down here in the southeastern part, as well as in rural areas throughout the state, in our farms and our dairies, etc. So everything we’ve heard is that there, there is sincere interest at the highest levels to come to Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:
Do you think that the extent of what’s unfolded in Minneapolis would happen in Milwaukee?

Darryl Morin:
Tragically, yes. As we’ve been working with our partners in Los Angeles, in New Orleans, in Charlotte, etc., we’ve seen these 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 our immigrant population, but for Wisconsinites in general.

Frederica Freyberg:
I know that Milwaukee Police policy is that they will not detain or arrest an individual solely for a 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?

Darryl Morin:
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, that’s — 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 going to 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 going to 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 win. Being a purple state, we’re hoping the administration takes that into account before making the final decision to come here.

Frederica Freyberg:
To your understanding, how prepared are Milwaukee Police and city leaders and others should Milwaukee become a powder keg?

Darryl Morin:
Well, we’ve been working with our partners around the state, both in the private sector, nonprofit 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 nonprofit partners.

Frederica Freyberg:
How has the immigration enforcement changed the lives of people and families and communities, even lawfully present people?

Darryl Morin:
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 seeing U.S. citizens and those lawfully present detained, even U.S. veterans that have served our nation with dignity and honor. So there’s tremendous fear here. We’re seeing 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 in force.

Frederica Freyberg:
You have urged preparation for ICE enforcement. What does that look like?

Darryl Morin:
Yeah. So as I share this information today, I don’t want to be causing panic. Right? It’s time for thoughtful preparation. It’s time 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 health care 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 homes? 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.

Frederica Freyberg:
We leave it there. Darryl Morin, thanks so much.

Darryl Morin:
Thank you.