ACLU of Wisconsin Condemns New 287(g) Agreements in Kenosha, Sauk Counties

Sheriffs in two more Wisconsin counties – Kenosha and Sauk – signed 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the past month.

Sheriff David Zoerner in Kenosha County and Sheriff Chip Meister in Sauk County agreed to work with ICE as part of its 287(g) program. Sauk County operates under a Warrant Service Model agreement, which purportedly authorizes local officers to serve administrative warrants and detain immigrants, while Kenosha put in place a Jail Enforcement Model program, which purportedly grants deputized local officers broad authority to interrogate individuals about their immigration status, issue detainers, and initiate deportation proceedings directly within a jail setting.

The ACLU condemned the local collaboration with ICE, especially in light of recent raids in Minnesota, which have been rife with instances of abuse, violence, and misconduct from federal agents and led to an ICE officer’s killing of Renee Good.

“As ICE wreaks havoc in our neighboring state of Minnesota, it is shameful that sheriffs here in Wisconsin are still willing to join 287(g) initiatives,” the organization said. “Partnering with ICE, as Kenosha and Sauk counties have recently done, only empowers the agency to inflict more harm on our immigrant neighbors — people who are dear friends, family members, colleagues, and long-standing pillars of the community — while federal forces continue to engage in gross misconduct. 287(g) agreements do not make anyone safer – they stoke fear and erode trust, deter residents from reporting crime, and divert local resources away from addressing real public safety concerns and the needs of the community.”

In September, Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner announced that his department would not take part in the 287(g) program and now has changed course. The ACLU of Wisconsin criticized the decision and Sheriff Zoerner’s abrupt reversal.

“After stating that his department would not participate in the 287g program, Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner went back on his word, signing a contract with ICE without proactively informing the public or seeking community input. Volunteering to partner with ICE puts the safety and well-being of the residents of Kenosha County at risk, and the fact that the sheriff waited to issue a formal announcement until the press learned of the agreement suggests he wanted to keep the arrangement removed from public view.

ICE is a rogue agency whose lawless behavior routinely puts people in danger. Across the country, we’ve seen agents act with impunity, trampling on people’s constitutional rights and causing gruesome bodily injury, including death. Collaboration with ICE has real and direct consequences on people’s lives, and community members deserve to know when their local authorities have decided to team up with them.

While the sheriff asserts he needs the 287(g) agreement to do his job, he is wrong. His department is fully capable of keeping people in Kenosha County safe without getting involved in federal immigration operations, and his participation in 287(g) does not grant him authority to honor administrative immigration detainers, which we believe is illegal under state law. The sheriff's refusal to be adequately transparent about signing on to a 287(g) agreement is unacceptable. We call on Sheriff Zoerner to withdraw from the program immediately and stop making decisions that impact public safety in Kenosha County behind closed doors.”