SE Wisconsin religious organizations preparing to provide support during possible ICE operations

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Protests continued in Minneapolis Wednesday, Jan. 14, one week after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman.

In southeast Wisconsin, preparations are ongoing ahead of possible ICE operations here.

ICE does not comment on future operations and has not confirmed agents will go to Milwaukee.

But community leaders believe it will happen within the next few months for targeted operations similar to those in Minnesota. And local organizers worry communities will be disrupted for as long as ICE is in town.

Bishop Paul Erickson leads 115 congregations throughout the seven counties of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Five of those congregations are primarily Spanish speaking.

And he says ICE operations here will impact them and their families, even if they're not the target.

Bishop Erickson told us, "The level of fear and anxiety is really, really high."

Erickson said his congregations see what is happening around the country and know Wisconsin could be next. And he says because people with no criminal records, families, and even citizens have been detained, "We want to make sure we're ready to respond if ICE ramps up its insane activity here."

The first preparations were to make sure people know their rights to due process and against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Erickson does not encourage any kind of violent or obstructive protests but wants people to document what happens.

And he says there's another element to being prepared: "We also have to make sure we're taking care of families who see what's going on and recognize they can't afford to go to work or go to school or buy groceries for fear they might get picked up."

For example, Bishop Erickson says participation at food pantries has dropped significantly because people don't feel safe standing outside in a line where ICE could pick them up.

Within the past week, Erickson met with faith leaders to encourage relationship building in their communities to help provide those resources.

Individual actions have been ongoing in Milwaukee for some time.

This week, the FBI made an immigration arrest, saying the Nicaraguan national was previously charged with possession of child pornography and child sexual exploitation.

ICE has long said it conducts targeted raids, but Bishop Erickson says that's not what's happening. "This is not targeted enforcement of criminals. If it were, we would be having a very, very different experience."

He said the preparation efforts stem from Jesus' command to love thy neighbor. "If nothing else," Erickson said, "we cannot let them take our humanity."

ICE has long vowed to arrest the worst of the worst. But several studies show just 5% of detainees have violent convictions and about 73% have no criminal record at all.

An ICE spokesperson would not comment on possible targeted actions in Milwaukee "to protect operational security and ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel."