Town hall on potential ICE operations in Milwaukee draws hundreds

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Hundreds of people lined up outside Vivarium Monday night, for a town hall meeting on ICE, put on by Alderman Alex Brower and other local organizations.

Vivarium filled up quickly, and people had to be turned away at the door because of capacity concerns.

Local organizations spoke about resources available and pushed for people to get involved.

Several people got to speak in a public comment portion of the town hall, expressing concerns about potential ICE operations in Milwaukee and asking questions about what they can do.

Multiple questions came up during public comment about how the Milwaukee Police Department would get involved with potential ICE operations.

MPD Chief of Staff Heather Hough was there, along with other MPD officers, and said the department has been prepping for possible operations.

“Please know we are in a situation ourselves; we are there to enforce laws, we are there to make sure that people have their constitutional rights to free speech, but we also- as an agency- cannot obstruct another agency from their work,” Hough said.

People continued to ask questions about MPD’s potential involvement, with Hough explaining that officers would treat every situation differently based on what was going on and would always have the goal of protecting the community.

Andy Barbour was at the town hall meeting and spoke in public comment, claiming the department would not work to protect residents.

“The police aren’t committed to protecting us. Now, more than ever, we need to join together and use our collective might as members of the working class of Milwaukee, to stop fascism right in its tracks,” Barbour said.