GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay’s Police Chief has been busy this week….meeting with members of the city’s Latino Community after ICE agents swooped down over the weekend, and arrested people believed to be illegal aliens, posing a threat to national security.
Chief Andrew Smith says he wasn’t there when the arrests were made.
In fact, he didn’t even know the Feds were in town.
“In the past, when immigration officials would come to Green Bay, in a large scale event like this, they would give us a call.”
In some places around the state, ICE agents identified themselves as police. That appears to be the case in Green Bay.
“A loud knock on the door and someone identified themselves as police, and then, when they opened the door it was immigration officials.”
While co-operating with federal agencies is something Green Bay Police typically do, Smith says his officers don’t routinely check people’s immigration status.
“A lot of people feel very strongly that we, as a police department, should be out there enforcing immigration laws. I think the courts have said that’s not the role of local law enforcement.”
He says the job for his officers is to prevent crime
The neighborhood meetings are meant to answer questions and reaffirm the department’s position.
