MILWAUKEE — A former volunteer at Milwaukee Urban Stables has been dismissed from her duties after telling suspected federal agents to leave the non-profit's private property during what she believed was preparation for an immigration raid.
Heather Asiyanbi was volunteering at the organization on October 29 when she discovered masked law enforcement officers staging in the parking lot of the facility on Milwaukee's south side. The non-profit combines the Milwaukee Police Department's mounted patrol horses with a mental wellness program for at-risk youth and veterans.
"It was shocking," Asiyanbi said.
Asiyanbi says she observed agents wearing vests marked "ERO," which stands for Enforcement and Removal Operations, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
While Asiyanbi says she didn't see ICE identification on their uniforms, she was concerned about the potential impact on the vulnerable populations served by the organization.
"This very well could be the staging for an ICE raid, and so I said to him, 'You can't be here.' We do learning and therapy here. You can't be here," Asiyanbi said.
The agents left within minutes of her request, but hours later, Asiyanbi received an email from the non-profit's leadership informing her that her volunteer service had ended.
Watch: Volunteer dismissed from duties after confronting suspected ICE agents at MKE non-profit
"In the email she sent to me, she said I was stepping outside my volunteer responsibilities, but I don't think I was. I was protecting the stables from what I thought was unsafe," Asiyanbi said.
The organization's leadership declined an on-camera interview, but provided a statement through a public relations firm saying the incident was a "one-time incident and occurred without the knowledge or permission of MKE Urban Stables."
The statement continued: "While the volunteer has a right to express their thoughts, those should have been first brought directly to staff members."
Asiyanbi expressed frustration with the organization's response, particularly given the populations they serve.
"We deal with kids who have various traumatic things, or just kids in general shouldn't see things like that," Asiyanbi said. "How is it OK with you that this activity was taking place in this environment specifically?" Asiyanbi said.
It remains unclear why the group of officers was staged at the location. ICE has not responded to requests for comment about whether agents were present at the facility and, if so, why.
Asiyanbi said she doesn't want her volunteer position back unless there are leadership changes at the non-profit.
"I hope they understand what a special place the stables are. I hope they understand the work that goes into this whole organization and people who contribute to it, but understand that leadership may be at odds right now with that mission," Asiyanbi said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
