Franklin, WI – Darryl Morin, National President of Forward Latino, a national non-profit, non- partisan service and advocacy organization headquartered in Franklin, Wisconsin issued the following statement following reports of a proposed immigration detention facility being built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
National President Darryl Morin issued the following statement:
“The assault on Hispanic families and individual rights has already begun. Extreme and false statements continue to be made by individuals across the country that are inspiring acts of hate against our Hispanic population, citizen and immigrant alike. The
U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 29) that would require mandatory detention of certain noncitizens including undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting- related offenses, even if they are never charged. One would only need to be accused and arrested to be indefinitely detained or deported. The Act would also give individual states unprecedented authority to sue the federal government unless they enacted draconian immigration measures the individual states deemed necessary. The bill would do little to improve public safety, further reduce the size of our workforce hurting businesses and our economy, and require the expansion and addition of immigration detention centers. The bill is currently being debated in the U.S. Senate and will be voted on shortly.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently stated that they would need an additional $26.9 billion in emergency funding to implement the act in the first year alone. This is funding that is urgently needed elsewhere.
Comprehensive immigration reform is the only solution that will further secure our nation’s borders, provide for our economy, while still maintaining our commitment to being the champions of freedom and human dignity. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office found that such a bill would strengthen the economy, create additional job growth and shrink the national debt.
Lastly, Forward Latino thanks Milwaukee Alderman José G. Pérez, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, Alderman Scott Spiker, Alderman Robert J. Bauman, Alderman DiAndre Jackson, Alderman Lamont Westmoreland, and Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II for their statement standing up for immigrant families following the release of information stating a new ICE facility with a substantially larger footprint is being planned in the City of Milwaukee.”