MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Federal agents have carried out a series of arrests across Milwaukee County in recent days, and some of their tactics appear to conflict with city and county ordinances designed to limit immigration enforcement activity.
Video from Monday morning shows masked federal agents surrounding a car outside a barbershop on Milwaukee's south side, handcuffing and arresting a man. However, a Milwaukee city ordinance prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings.
One man caught up in the enforcement activity, Galo Suárez, says he, his fiancée and her brother were chased by masked federal agents Sunday near the El Rey on 13th Street.
"They broke our side window, and they told us that if we didn't comply, we would face several heavy consequences," Suárez said.
Suárez says he has working papers to be in the U.S. and that his fiancée has the same.
"They had guns pointed at us, they didn't ask us for identification, they didn't ask us for our names, they just took us violently out of the car," Suárez said.
Watch: Confusion grows over city and county ordinances restricting ICE, while arrests by federal agents ramp up
After being handcuffed and searched for drugs, Suárez said agents released him, but his fiancée and her brother remain in custody.
TMJ4 News also obtained pictures of federal agents parked at Mitchell Park, which is part of the Milwaukee County Parks System.
A newly passed Milwaukee County resolution prohibits the use of any park or parkway as a staging area by or on behalf of any law enforcement agency unless prior written authorization has been issued — meaning that activity may also violate local policy.
In a press conference Tuesday, Milwaukee City Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, who helped craft the city restrictions and Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel-Martinez, who helped pass the county resolution, spoke about these two local laws.
Watch: Mayor Johnson speaks out on ICE agents wearing masks against city ordinance
"Through great advocacy and many months, we've been able with nearly unanimous support to pass the ICE Out package," Dimitrijevic added.
"We designed a ordinance change over at the county to require a permit from ICE to stage in our county parks," Miguel-Martinez said.
Miguel-Martinez acknowledged the county's lawyer and the sheriff's department said the measure would not be fully enforceable.
When asked why the ordinances matter if they are not being followed or fully enforceable, Dimitrijevic pushed back on the framing.
"It isn't that it's not working; it's not being respected, so law enforcement should know how to follow the laws," Dimitrijevic responded.
We also learned ICE was staged inside the Milwaukee Police Department's District 2 parking lot, which is also against city ordinance. An MPD spokesperson says when they were made aware of the situation, they asked ICE to leave.
When it comes to the county, Miguel-Martinez said he's spoken with Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball, who assured him that deputies will enforce this resolution.
"They're going to enforce it, and all we can do is follow up with the sheriff's department," Martinez said.
TMJ4 News made multiple attempts to reach the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office Tuesday but never heard back.
An ICE spokesperson says agents arrested 39 people in Wisconsin over the weekend, "many of whom had criminal histories." When asked about arrests of people without criminal histories, like Suárez, his fiancée and her brother, ICE had not responded as of the time of this report.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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