Green Bay Police Department seal (PHOTO/WTAQ News)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — ICE raids continue to be executed throughout the U.S. in coordination with the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, leading to confusion and concern among residents in communities across the nation — including right here in Northeast Wisconsin.
On Friday, Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis released a 13-minute video in which he answered commonly asked questions regarding the department’s involvement with ICE, immigration raids and deportations.
“Our focus in the Green Bay Police Department is local public safety,” Davis said. “In our community, there’s just not a local public safety gain that we’re going to get out of participating in immigration enforcement, like there is for things like dealing with crime, guns or drugs. And so we have to spend our resources in a way that gets the best local return on that investment, and that’s our commitment going forward.”
Davis addressed the following questions:
- Is the Green Bay Police Department assisting ICE with arrests?
- Why are so many people appearing to be jailed in Brown County on an “ICE Safekeeper” hold?
- How does someone locate a detainee who is currently in ICE custody?
- What is the Green Bay Police Department’s current policy regarding cooperation with ICE?
- Can the Green Bay Police Department stop ICE from coming into our community?
- Can you clarify whether the department receives advance notice of planned ICE raids in our area?
- What distinguishes a lawful assembly, like a protest, from an unlawful one, such as a riot? At what point does an assembly raise legal or public safety concerns?
- How does the department ensure transparency and accountability when working with federal agencies?
- What would you say to undocumented residents who are afraid to leave their homes or report a crime?
- How can someone differentiate fact from fiction on social media?
“It is a very difficult balancing act that we find ourselves in right now, because we recognize that we have a responsibility to keep everyone in our community safe, and in order for us to do that, we have to work with people. We have to maintain good relationships,” Davis said. “On the other hand, the federal government does have authority to do certain things and we have to respect that and we have to follow the law.”
Davis’ video comes as protests against ICE raids have erupted from coast to coast, with some turning violent and hundreds of people arrested. Organizers in a number of Northeast Wisconsin cities, including Green Bay, carried out “No Kings Day of Defiance” protests on Saturday.
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