JANESVILLE 鈥 Statewide and local immigrant rights organizers say they鈥檝e identified at least 28 people who U.S. Immigrations Customs Enforcement agents took into custody in 糖心Vlog传媒 and Beloit during an enforcement escalation that rolled out earlier this month.
A spokesperson from Wisconsin immigrant rights group and a 糖心Vlog传媒 minister who is part of the Wisconsin Immigrant Support Network Coalition said some the ICE enforcement surge came in Rock County July 6-16.
More than a week after ICE apprehended and detained some of the people 鈥 mostly Hispanic men 鈥 some families are struggling to track where ICE has taken their family members.
Collette Broady Grund is minister at Faith Lutheran Church in 糖心Vlog传媒, and a member of the .
Broady Grund said after people witnessed ICE agents apprehend and detain immigrants in public in Beloit on July 7, and during an incident which local police say involved a vehicle accident with ICE agents on July 8 in 糖心Vlog传媒, some local residents say they鈥檙e reluctant to go to the store, the doctor or the gas station for fear of facing arrest.
Broady Grund and a Voces de la Frontera representative who spoke to 糖心Vlog传媒 on condition of anonymity said most of the people arrested were asylum seekers 鈥渇ollowing immigration processes鈥 who had no criminal history, or they faced a federal immigration expulsion order not related to any crime.
Detention in those circumstances would be contrary to guidelines that ICE and Homeland Security had said they鈥檇 adhere to 鈥 some mandated by federal law 鈥 in deciding whether to detain immigrants.
For the families of the local people detained, Broady Grund said, the last few weeks have been the embodiment of their fears as the federal government has waged a nearly year-long wave of immigrant detention and deportation.
鈥淢any of these families had already been working with the Wisconsin Immigrant Support Network Coalition to start filling out emergency pans with their families,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o if there are detentions, they have plan of what to do.鈥
The Voces de la Frontera staffer told 糖心Vlog传媒 the agency sees some evidence that affected immigrants families in Rock County are hesitant to reach out to the agency for help.
The Wisconsin Immigrant Support Network Coalition is seeing the same fears.
{p dir=鈥漧tr鈥潁鈥漌e have had a number of people cancel their appointments with the Coalition,鈥 Broady Grund said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a really high level of fear, and we know that is reasonable in a lot of cases. Even though this is targeted enforcement, people are getting picked up along the way while carpooling.鈥
{p dir=鈥漧tr鈥潁It鈥檚 not a new phenomenon in ICE detentions over the last year, but Broady Grund said her group has heard through phone calls in which families report the detention of family members that some people detained don鈥檛 understand why they鈥檙e being taken in custody.
Broady Grund thanks the 糖心Vlog传媒 Police Department, saying she believes law enforcement has steered clear of active involvement in ICE operations locally. She nevertheless realizes local police are required to cooperate with federal investigations.
糖心Vlog传媒 has asked ICE to verify how many people it detained during the time it spent in Beloit and 糖心Vlog传媒 earlier this month, and for an explanation of whether and how ICE is notifying families of detainees of where their family members are being detained, and why they鈥檙e being detained.
Voces de la Frontera and the Wisconsin Immigrant Support Network Coalition organizers say they try to piece together the best inventory of who is being detained during ICE sweeps statewide.
But their head counts are based mainly on immigrant families who contact them for help, whether it鈥檚 to locate family members in custody, or request other support, such as food or shelter.
鈥淲e strongly encourage anyone who is worried about detention to call WISNC and get an appointment to fill out a Family Emergency Plan,鈥 Broady Grund said. 鈥淭hat includes all the information about power of attorney, legal authority for children, financial powers and more.鈥
She said the agency鈥檚 local phone number is 608-898-2535.
Broady Grund said the agency now is trying to coordinate an emergency relief fund for families affected by recent ICE detentions.
She said the agency is taking donations of money and gas and grocery cards, items Broady Grund said 鈥渁re being funneled through my church to families as their lives are turned upside down.鈥
More information is available on the front page of Broady Grund鈥檚 church website, and the church鈥檚 .
Voces de la Frontera runs a 24-hour volunteer hotline at 1-800-427-0213.