Local leader expects targeted ICE operations in Milwaukee 'in the next few months'

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Local leaders in southeast Wisconsin expect ICE to begin targeted operations in Milwaukee within the next few months.

Some people think it's a matter of when, not if ICE comes to Milwaukee for targeted operations.

Democratic State Rep. Ryan Clancy told us, "I'm guessing that ICE will be here in full force in the next few months."

State Representative Ryan Clancy says organizers and activists believe federal agents could head to Milwaukee next to conduct targeted immigration enforcement operations.

Publicly, local governments and law enforcement agencies say they haven't officially been told of any activity.

On Jan. 8, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said, "There is no solidified word, right now, from the administration, that ICE is coming to the city of Milwaukee."

This week, a representative for the city of Milwaukee told us, "We have no authoritative information about immigration enforcement activity underway or planned in Milwaukee."

They added, "The city’s planning work is in an active phase, but I have no specifics to share at this time."

A Milwaukee Police Department spokesperson said they "are unaware of any ICE plans."

But Clancy said organizers in other cities are seeing patterns that could mean Milwaukee is next. "I've never seen folks in Milwaukee more scared and concerned for their neighbors than I have right now."

But he said the shooting of Renee Good has also galvanized people who oppose ICE, as evidenced by a Friday protest that drew thousands of people.

ICE is already in Wisconsin and has conducted smaller-scale and individual operations for years. But numbers close to the 3,500 agents expected in Minneapolis would be unprecedented in Milwaukee.

ICE has long said it's targeting offenders and violent criminals.

But Clancy isn't buying it. "The federal government's and Homeland Security's and ICE's, initial narrative, which was always a lie, was, 'We're just going after the bad guys. We're just going after the ones with criminal records.' We know that's a lie."

After an ICE operation in Massachusetts in September, Senator Ed Markey said: "Only 2% of those arrested… had convictions for violent crimes, while 63% had no criminal charges at all."

And in Chicago, court records show just 16 of 607 people detained by federal agents last fall-or 2.6%-were identified as a "high public safety risk."

Clancy said, "Across the country, DHS and ICE are targeting anybody with brown skin or any allies that they may have., they're not going after just a subclass of people that have been accused of or committed a crime."

We've reached out to ICE multiple times and in multiple ways to get more information about potential operations. So far, ICE has not responded.