Know Your Rights: Stay Informed and be Prepared

Statement from Common Council President José G. Pérez, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa and Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic

On Monday (January 20), the tradition and pageantry that accompanies the inauguration of the U.S. President attracted the eyes of the nation and world to Washington, D.C.  This symbolism of civility, highlighted by the peaceful transition of power, quickly veered in a harmful direction as executive orders were signed seeking to restrict birthright citizenship and pause refugee admissions, amongst other things.  Many of the orders signed have direct negative connotation for the immigrant community.

I want to reiterate to my constituents, those across the city, and all those who are fearful right now that we will continue to work to make sure they stay safe. While we might not know what will happen in the coming weeks and months, the best thing we can do as a community is be prepared and support one another.

There are a variety of organizations here in Milwaukee that are ready to help, including Voces de la Frontera, Forward Latino, and the ACLU of Wisconsin, to name a few. These groups, and others, will be hosting a variety of events in the near future to get the word out on ways to be prepared and share crucial information.

Additionally, to ensure we stay at the forefront as a City on such matters, I have introduced a file that will create an Immigrant Advisory Board. This body will bring stakeholders together in a collaborative fashion to discuss critical and timely issues of importance to immigrant communities to support our goal of making sure everyone’s rights are protected.

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.

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