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WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – The American Civil Liberties Union is voicing concerns over a potential agreement between the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department and ICE.
The agreement would involve the sheriff’s office in the 287(g) program, which aims to identify immigrants with criminal charges for ICE. The ACLU of Wisconsin criticized the sheriff’s department’s involvement.
“The Marathon County sheriff is offering to have his department be turned into an arm of ICE’s deportation machine,” said the ACLU of Wisconsin.
“The 287-G program is notorious for leading to racial profiling, unconstitutional policing, and wrongful detention of US citizens – and it makes communities less safe. People are less likely to seek help and report crime when their local law enforcement is seen as a partner with ICE. Going to the authorities could mean that they, a family member or a friend could be deported.”
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office has not commented. According to ICE’s official government website, the 287-G program is intended to “protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.”
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