The Milwaukee Common Council’s ICE Out legislative package is one of the ways some local officials want to prepare for a potential influx of federal immigration agents in the city.
The ICE Out initiative proposes 10 items, which need final approval from the Common Council and mayor. The items include declaring city-owned properties as safe spaces and the creation of an Office of New Milwaukeeans.
District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic is one of four alders who sponsored the legislation. She spoke with WUWM's Eddie Morales about the legislative package and the proposed Office of New Milwaukeeans.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Eddie Morales: Can you summarize what the proposed ICE Out legislation is?
Marina Dimitrijevic: I'll start with the first one, which deals with masking. As of right now, it would change and modify the standard operating procedure for our Milwaukee Police Department. And that would be to eliminate any kind of face coverings and to increase identification and transparency. We would like that to mirror what we're requesting of federal agents.
Are there examples of that legislation in other cities? How has that been handled with the conflict between local and federal law?
There was a court decision in California that had to do with face coverings. The reason it was struck down was it was not uniformly applied. That's where we were able to rework ours so that it would be uniformly applied.
Along those same lines, we also want to increase transparency and permitting for any of the city-owned public spaces that might be used for staging. I think that city residents and certainly taxpayers have the right to know how public property is being used. So, we're trying to add some transparency to what has been somewhat of a secretive occupation in some senses. People feel invaded and they want more transparency and accountability. Every part of this package is trying to reach that goal.
Then the next [item] is the duty to intervene. It would modify the standard operating procedure within the Milwaukee Police Department, where a Milwaukee police officer would witness what we saw to both Alex [Pretti] and Renee [Good] in Minneapolis, that they would be required to intervene.
The Chicago mayor himself had asked that his own police department go as far as to arrest federal agents if they're deemed to be breaking the law and impeding upon people's civil rights. If the federal government was able to rein in the terror that has come to our local cities and communities, much of this would not be needed.
You also announced the Office of New Milwaukeeans. How does that tie into the Ice Out initiative, and what would be some of the duties of the Office of New Milwaukeeans?
Our mayor has talked about trying to get to a million people, and we believe that creating the most welcoming city is the way to do that. As well, we have a challenge where there's been lower birth rates than normal and increased infant mortality. So, what does a centralized effort that is funded end up providing to the city of Milwaukee? We should retain new workforce, new talent. So, we're trying to have a centralized office that is focused on all those things.
How would that be funded? Did council members look at other U.S. cities as examples?
We're still looking at that, and we're looking at best examples. The one that I'm inspired by is the Office of New Bostonians. They have a multi-million-dollar budget. These offices that focus on enhancing population and making cities welcoming that include, of course, our vibrant immigrant communities are all across the nation. There's even one in Dane County.
It's probably going to be [introduced] the next cycle — the best model, what budget fits for our population size. Any investment we make for maybe one or two, possibly three staff people, including leadership, I believe the investment will definitely see high returns.
How can the public give input on some of these initiatives? Can you walk me through where these proposals stand and the processes that they have to go through before being approved?
A few of them are in the legislative cycle as we speak, meaning they're having committee hearings in the next week or two. People can register, they can send emails or phone calls. Coming to speak at a committee, testifying, registering your support or objection, if that's what you have. We've gotten a few of those actually, and that's OK. That's part of democracy. But they're all going to be discussed, deliberated and go through the democratic process.
