Chief Morales told the listening Latino audience of the Latinos en Milwaukee 93.7FM weekend radio program that the Milwaukee Police Department has to work with U.S. ICE because it's a federal law enforcement agency without adding or making it clear that in December 2019, the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission unanimously approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 130, which prohibits police from assisting ICE agents when enforcing immigration law without having a federal or state warrant signed a by court judge to detain a suspected undocumented immigrant in the City.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
March 7, 2020
West Allis, Wisconsin - On Saturday, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales was interviewed in the popular Latinos en Milwaukee 93.7FM radio program where he discussed various issues, crime stats, human trafficking, domestic violence, gun violence and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) collaboration with the Milwaukee Police Department. The Latinos en Milwaukee radio program was hosted by Victor Huyke and Yussef Morales. Yussef asked Chief Morales about immigration enforcement including police and any changes or if new policies (or laws) for immigration enforcement that have been enacted involving the MPD, since the program has a large Mexican community listening audience. Chief Morales responded by saying, "It's a federal thing...our job, local law enforcement, which Milwaukee police is a local law enforcement agency, our job and goal is to connect with the community...we work with the feds and if we have to work with ICE, it's because it's part of our work, but the work of the Milwaukee police is to grow in relations, in all the neighborhoods, help the people that need help and that's our primary work..."
In his response, Chief Morales didn't directly explain to the listening audience, especially to the undocumented immigrant community, that they need to continue to trust police and report crimes that they witness without being afraid of being detained for deportation, by simply mentioning that in December 2019, the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission unanimously approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 130, which prohibits police from assisting ICE agents when enforcing immigration law without having a federal or state warrant signed a by court judge to detain a suspected undocumented immigrant in the City.
If Chief Morales continues to ignore to mention the new SOP-130 policy, when asked if any new policies have been enacted concerning ICE, its immigration enforcement and police assisting ICE, it could be construed that police are continuing to assist ICE agents in detaining undocumented immigrants without a warrant.
According to Chief Morales:
• 45% of gun violence occurs in 14 neighborhoods from 190 Milwaukee neighborhoods and 20% of gun violence last year was contributed to domestic violence, more than 17 homicides were related to intimate partner domestic violence. Last year, 100 less homicides were reported from previous years.
• In the Southside neighborhoods, Lincoln Village, Mitchell Street and the West end of Walkers Point where the Milwaukee 2nd Police District Station serves, the largest drop of non-fatal shootings percentage wise compared to other neighborhoods in the City, which was reported in the last two years compared to previous gun violence
• Human traffickers in Milwaukee target girls as young as 12 and than move them around (prostitution).
• In 2015, an FBI statistic report indicated that the "LGN" route or W. Lincoln Ave., W. Greenfield Ave. and W. National Ave. corridor strips in Milwaukee's Southside were known nationally as a human trafficking area.
According to Chief Morales:
• 45% of gun violence occurs in 14 neighborhoods from 190 Milwaukee neighborhoods and 20% of gun violence last year was contributed to domestic violence, more than 17 homicides were related to intimate partner domestic violence. Last year, 100 less homicides were reported from previous years.
• In the Southside neighborhoods, Lincoln Village, Mitchell Street and the West end of Walkers Point where the Milwaukee 2nd Police District Station serves, the largest drop of non-fatal shootings percentage wise compared to other neighborhoods in the City, which was reported in the last two years compared to previous gun violence
• Human traffickers in Milwaukee target girls as young as 12 and than move them around (prostitution).
• In 2015, an FBI statistic report indicated that the "LGN" route or W. Lincoln Ave., W. Greenfield Ave. and W. National Ave. corridor strips in Milwaukee's Southside were known nationally as a human trafficking area.
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