Advocates seek answers after FBI and ICE conduct raid in Manitowoc

MANTIOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Immigration advocates said Friday, Sept. 26, they were working to learn more details about a raid in Manitowoc one day earlier in which federal authorities said they'd arrested 21 people in the U.S. illegally.

The FBI's Milwaukee field office said in a social media post the joint action with ICE led to the arrest of nine undocumented migrants suspected of human trafficking and sex crimes involving underage girls.

Matthew Sauer, a pastor at Manitowoc's First Presbyterian Church, said he knew some of the arrested migrants and their families. The church is part of the Manitowoc Cooperative Ministry, which does some immigration outreach.

Sauer said he wanted to know what was happening with the detained migrants who are not suspected of sex crimes or trafficking.

"There seems to be another 12 individuals that we don't know why they're picked up," he said. "We don't know why they're detained or where they're being detained."

A spokeswoman for the FBI's Milwaukee office said the agency had no comment beyond Thursday's social media post. ICE's press office did not respond to questions Friday.

Forward Latino, a national advocacy group, issued a statement questioning the raid. The organization's president, Darryl Morin, said most of the arrests happened in a Walmart parking lot where migrants have been known to gather before working at dairy farms.

Morin said others were arrested at a residence but he declined to share that location, citing security concerns.

Morin said the organization believes anyone suspected of sex crimes against children should be prosecuted, but he added those accused should be afforded due process before being deported.

"We're not here to defend those [accused of crimes]," Morin said. "Sadly, it pains me to say this. We've seen certain actions taken by our Federal Bureau of Investigation in recent months that has caused a lot of people to grow weary of things that are said."

In June, prosecutors charged a Milwaukee inmate with trying to frame a migrant who was set to testify against him in a stabbing case. The inmate wrote a letter threatening to shoot President Donald Trump and claimed to be Ramon Morales-Reyes, an illegal migrant who accused Demetric Scott of stabbing him in 2023.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem touted the arrest and falsely claimed Morales-Reyes had written the letter.

The DHS has to publicly acknowledge the mistake.

GOP Congressman Glenn Grothman represents Manitowoc. In a phone call Friday, Grothman said he wanted to learn more about the arrests and was waiting to speak with FBI officials before sharing more.

Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels did not respond to a message seeking comment Friday. The Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department did not return a message seeking information about whether any of those arrested were being held in the county jail.

Sauer said he was working with some of the arrestees' families as they tried to reach their loved ones. He added the ministry was working to determine who was accused of what crimes and where each of the people arrested were being held.

"Did they just cast a big net and say, 'We'll sort it out later?'" he said. "There's families right now who don't know where the main breadwinner is."