MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Immigration advocacy group Forward Latino is voicing its support for Milwaukee's ordinance requiring law enforcement officers to display identification and restricting the use of face masks during operations, as the city continues its legal dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice.

In a statement released Saturday, the organization praised Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke's defense of the ordinance, calling it an important step toward improving transparency, accountability and public trust.

"Transparency and accountability are fundamental to maintaining public trust in law enforcement and legitimate government authorities," said Darryl D. Morin, national president of Forward Latino. "When federal agents exercise extraordinary authority to detain, arrest, or use force, the public should be able to clearly identify who is carrying out those actions."

Morin said the use of masks by federal immigration agents during enforcement operations has created fear and uncertainty in communities across the country.

"We continue to see unlawful detentions, serious injuries and tragic losses of life suffered by both immigrants and U.S. citizens during enforcement operations conducted under current federal policies," Morin said. "The routine use of masks by immigration agents only deepens public mistrust and makes accountability more difficult."

The statement comes one day after Goyke announced Milwaukee intends to enforce its ordinance against federal law enforcement officers who wear masks while conducting operations in the city.

The move follows a request from the Department of Justice asking Milwaukee to exempt federal officers from the ordinance. The DOJ argued the policy endangers officers by exposing them to "increasingly common threats of targeted harassment, tracking, interference, and assaults."

In a five-page response, Goyke rejected that argument, writing that the city has the right to know whether "masked, armed, and unidentified men seizing people on our streets are who they say they are."

The city also argued that because federal policy leaves masking and identification to the discretion of individual officers, masks are not essential to immigration enforcement operations. Goyke wrote that federal agents will not be exempt from Milwaukee's ordinance and said the city will prosecute officers who are properly cited for violating it.

The dispute could ultimately result in Milwaukee police officers being tasked with issuing citations to federal agents.

As of Friday evening, requests for comment from the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Police Association had not been returned.