Milwaukee County Board affirms courthouse access and directs coordinated response after ICE arrests

Chairwoman Marcilia Nicholson, sponsor of Resolution file 25-295, told the committee the Milwaukee County Courthouse should be “a place where people come to learn about their rights, access justice, and feel safe doing so.” The committee voted to recommend adoption of the resolution (motion by Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez); the motion passed with four ayes and one abstention.

The resolution responds to two recent immigration enforcement arrests in public areas of the courthouse complex. Nicholson said the actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 4 and a prior incident sent “a message” that the courthouse “may not be safe for people who look a certain way or speak a certain language,” and that the county must protect residents’ access to courts.

Why it matters: County supervisors, court leaders and advocates said courthouse arrests by federal immigration agents risk deterring victims, witnesses and tenants who must use county services. The resolution asks the county executive, the chief judge and the sheriff’s office to coordinate a plan to…