State Assembly Democrats protested what they called “racial profiling” in Wisconsin courthouses in a letter to the federal agency in charge of regulating immigration.
Members of the Wisconsin state Assembly sent a letter Thursday to John Sandweg, acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, in response to numerous reports that ICE agents have detained Latino or non-English speaking residents in or outside courthouses, according to a press release.
Immigration agents have deported or begun deportation of citizens in nine Wisconsin counties, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“These practices undermine the integrity of our court system if Wisconsin residents worry that they will be racially profiled when they come to court to adjudicate traffic, municipal, and family matters,” state legislators said in the letter.
The signatories, led by state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, and state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, D-Milwaukee, asked the ICE to investigate and halt the practice.
“Members of our community should be able to enter our courthouses without being racially profiled. These practices described by constituents are deeply disturbing and must be halted immediately,” Mason said in a release.
