U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has recently ramped up its presence in Madison, and local officials are not having it.<\/p>\n
Since rumors started circulating last week that ICE was in the Madison area, at least 11 people have been detained by the agency. The number by itself is enough to cause alarm, but the report that ICE is operating in the shadows is even more concerning.<\/p>\n
Typically, ICE will notify local police departments about their activities in any given area. But for whatever reason, no advanced notice was given about ICE\u2019s presence in Madison. According to Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, this is not a good look for the increasingly controversial agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not policy and it\u2019s not mandated even by federal law,\u201d Mahoney told NBC15<\/a>, \u201cbut it\u2019s good practice to not have your local law enforcement officers responding to 911 calls because there are armed individuals in the community and it turns out to be federal law enforcement agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Paul Soglin, meanwhile, is incensed (a feeling he usually reserves for fast food chains<\/a>). During a Friday news conference<\/a>, Soglin made it very apparent his feelings on the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very disappointed in how ICE and the federal government are conducting themselves, and we are making our best effort to work with community leaders and to make sure the rights of those individuals in ICE\u2019s custody are fully protected,\u201d Soglin said. He added: \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that they did it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n While ICE has maintained that these are targeted arrests and not larger scale raids, their presence has nonetheless put the local Hispanic community on edge.<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9, a 22-year-old from Madison who requested anonymity, tells me: \u201cThe fear is real. We don\u2019t want to be separated. I have two little brothers who do not understand why we stay home all weekend and don\u2019t open the door to anyone. All they know is that if they open the door to the wrong person, we might be separated.\u201d<\/p>\n And ICE\u2019s presence is rippling beyond that, as well. Popular downtown restaurant Tipsy Cow<\/a> went as far as to temporarily close its doors instead of putting their employees at risk.<\/p>\n