Milwaukee Alderwoman Larresa Taylor has voiced strong opposition to a proposed ICE detention facility slated for the city's northwest side, revealing that the federal agency has sidestepped local consent through a federal exemption. According to WISN, Taylor expressed her concerns Tuesday night, stating she did not want to sponsor such a facility in her district but felt the decision was out of local hands.
Immigrant groups and local organizations have conveyed alarm, seeing the potential for a massive ICE presence as profoundly unsettling. With the foreboding of 500 beds, families worry about separation, as reported by CBS 58. Some are considering drastic actions, such as withholding children from school or abstaining from seeking medical care, as they navigate a climate thick with fear and uncertainty.
The facility in question, which previously served as a warehouse park, is located at the intersection of Lake Park Drive and Park Place. Its conversion into an ICE facility would include the installation of a sally port and chain link fencing, measures that convey prison-like security associated with the transport and holding of prisoners. Alderwoman Taylor's office has disseminated this information in a press release, underscoring the community's lack of support for this development, as per WISN.
While the federal government remains silent in the wake of these reports, Alderwoman Taylor has taken a public stand. In a statement to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she declared, "I want District 9, and the rest of the city, to know that we do not support the Department of Homeland Security in their decision to move into our district." She further highlighted the district's lack of agency in governmental decisions that shape their immediate environment and impact their quality of life.
Taylor has called for a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to bring together organizations and community members impacted by the potential opening of an ICE facility. The event will focus on how the facility could affect the community, especially families trying to build a better life in America.
