Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission joins Voces de le Frontera & ACLU-WI
The Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission joins Voces de la Frontera and the ACLU-Wisconsin in condemning the decision of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) to collude with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in detaining a longtime Milwaukee resident and sending him to face deportation proceedings. Information related to this incident can be found on the ACLU’s website, here: https://www.aclu-wi.org/en/news/statement-aclu-wisconsin-milwaukee-police-collaboration-ice .
Racialized policing and immigration arrests continue to violate the core tenets of human rights, of which the United States has long touted itself a global champion. Yet, human rights abuses continue to occur in our very own country, and as this case and current trends with policing highlight, here in Milwaukee, WI. As the commission charged with “…advising the appropriate department or division of county government of the proper procedures for preserving the equal rights of persons as guaranteed by the law,” we are required to remind political leadership of the guiding principles to which government especially must adhere.
In doing so, we implore local government to protect the rights listed below, and urge a full recognition of the rights enumerated and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which continues to direct global efforts to protect human rights.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status…
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Failure of government to conduct itself in the spirit of these rights and values will assuredly exacerbate current human rights abuses. The Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission is therefore obligated, in the spirit of the Declaration of Human Right, to object to such collaborations between MPD and ICE. This case painfully highlights the disastrous impact and toll taken on the families and communities of Milwaukee affected by such practices. We join Voces de la Frontera in calling for public officials to advance the Proposal to Amend SOP 130 to Prevent the Milwaukee Police Department from Partnering with ICE. More information on this and SOP 130 can be found on Voces De La Frontera’s website here: https://vdlf.org/voces-calls-on-public-officials-to-amend-sop130-to-prevent-the-mpd-from-partnering-with-ice/
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
