I'm writing as a Wisconsin resident who believes our communities should have a say in how federal agents operate on our streets. Milwaukee passed its mask ordinance so residents could know who is stopping them, who is arresting them, and who is taking their neighbors away. That's not an unreasonable thing to ask. Accountability isn't a partisan value — it's a basic one.
On July 10, 2026, the Justice Department sent Milwaukee a letter demanding the city promise not to enforce its own ordinance against masked ICE agents. The letter was signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate and U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel. The federal government's position is essentially: our agents can operate anonymously in your city and your elected officials cannot do a thing about it. Families in Milwaukee — including many who were born here and have lived here for decades — are already frightened. Unidentified men in masks with no visible credentials showing up at homes and workplaces makes that fear worse, not better. A local law designed to bring basic transparency to those encounters is being swept aside before it can even take effect.
Wisconsin's legislature should make clear it stands with Milwaukee's right to pass reasonable public safety measures and protect residents from unidentified enforcement actions. I'm asking you to publicly oppose any state-level action that would punish Milwaukee or other Wisconsin cities for enacting transparency ordinances, and to call on Wisconsin's attorney general to explore every legal option available to defend local authority here.
Wisconsin communities deserve to govern themselves. Please stand up for Milwaukee.
