ICE Shootings

America was known as the great melting pot, many peoples coming together to form a shared culture. A country of immigrants, standing as a beacon of hope through the world. In the past year, we have seen immigrants returning to a life of fear. A fear of deportation, a fear of torture and an increasing fear of death. This is not us. The United States must create realistic pathways to citizenship. Those already pursuing a pathway need the opportunity to complete the journey before being arrested and deported.  

Immigrants bring an estimate of a trillion dollars to our economy each year, with both documented and undocumented immigrants paying state and local taxes. They provide labor and resources to Wisconsin and across the nation. Immigrants are more likely to be a victim of a crime than commit one and bring diversity, skill, and great value to our community.

Renee Nicole Good was a mother and a US citizen, killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minnesota. As we mourn her loss, there were two more people shot in Portland, Oregon. They are not the first, and they won’t be the last unless something changes. The federal government has recruited a barely trained force of rogue agents, called to “get the worst of the worst”. In addition to their salary, they are given a bonus of up to $50,000 bonus and even student loan forgiveness. These agents are masked and sent out to storm our communities. The result is not order, not safety, and surely not law.

This is the modern version of an old tale, but the ending will be determined by us because this is happening to us. Immigrants are people. They are our friends, our colleagues and our neighbors and they are being hunted. Now is not the time to be silent.  Contact your representatives and demand a full investigation and justice for each victim. Put pressure on them to end the occupation of our cities and towns and end the arrest and killing of innocent people.