Immigrant group plans rally before lawsuit hearing, Sheriff says there's no substance to it

Last March, immigrant rights organization Voces de la Frontera filed a lawsuit against the Milwaukee County Sheriff' David Clarke.  The group did so under Wisconsin's Open Records law.  They are trying to get information about the how the sheriff works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on deportations. Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski is expected to announce his decision in the lawsuit during a hearing on Wednesday.

\"This is about transparency and the public's need to have oversight over the activities of our sheriff that are leading to unjust deportations and policies that criminalize immigrants,\" said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera. \"The public has a right to know if Sheriff Clarke is complying with the new enforcement guidelines announced by President Obama last November. Sheriff Clarke's collaboration in deportations makes us all less safe because it makes immigrant community members afraid to report crimes.\"

When asked about the lawsuit allegations in early May, Sheriff David Clarke responded with a statement to CBS 58 saying: \"What allegations? Just because they whine doesn't mean there is any substance to it.\"

The rally starts at 1:00 at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on Wednesday. The hearing is supposed to start at 1:30.