GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Amidst nationwide immigration enforcement protests and raids, Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis answered some of the most commonly asked questions regarding local policies on the recent actions.
In an over 13-minute video uploaded to YouTube by the Green Bay Police Department, Chief Davis answered nearly a dozen questions people have posed about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies and what local officials would do concerning immigration enforcement in the city.
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The questions from the video are listed below, with a summarization of answers from Chief Davis:
- Is the Green Bay Police Department assisting ICE with arrests?
- Chief Davis said in the video that the department isn’t assisting and that they’ve had no communication with ICE since well before January 1.
- Arrests are made under federal authority that local police don’t have, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Green Bay Police to do so.
- Why are so many people appearing to be jailed in Brown County on an ‘ICE Safekeeper’ hold?
- Chief Davis said the department believes they were immigration enforcement arrests potentially through an agreement with the jail; however, they are not involved with as they do not have the lawful authority to make arrests solely based on immigration charges.
- How does someone locate a detainee currently in ICE custody?
- The Immigration and Customs Enforcement website has a locator system at ICE.gov.
- What is the Green Bay Police Department’s current policy regarding cooperation with ICE?
- Chief Davis said that federal law prohibits local government officials from stopping employees from cooperating with immigration enforcement; however, they are not required to cooperate with ICE.
- The Green Bay Police Department’s policy is to evaluate any request from federal government bodies on a case-by-case basis, considering if it’s an appropriate use of city resources and its potential impact on public safety.
- Chief Davis said that officers are asked to let officials know if they have had contact with ICE; however, no such case has been mentioned.
- Can the Green Bay Police Department stop ICE from coming into our community?
- Federal law prohibits anybody from impeding a federal enforcement group from doing their duties, as they have jurisdiction here.
- Chief Davis added that they have expectations of all law enforcement groups, whether it’s local, state or federal, that they do their work in a lawful manner with respect to the community.
- Can [Chief Davis] clarify whether the department receives advance notice of a planned ICE raid in our area?
- The Green Bay Police Department, according to Chief Davis, does not receive notice, and they have not received any related to immigration; however, this does not mean they will not be notified in the future.
- The Green Bay Police Department may be prohibited from publicly informing residents about an upcoming ICE raid, as sometimes they are confidential. Similar to a search warrant related to another case, it could create safety issues if public notice is issued in advance.
- ICE could notify the public if it chooses to.
- What distinguishes a lawful assembly, like a protest, from an unlawful one, such as a riot? At what point does an assembly raise legal or public safety concerns?
- The First Amendment gives a constitutional right to free speech and to peaceably assemble, and it applies to all people in the United States.
- The Green Bay Police Department takes this very seriously, especially with the rise in protests.
- Chief Davis said that while protest isn’t a crime, crime is not a protest, and that officials won’t tolerate property damage, safety threats to anybody and people who choose to be violent will be held accountable.
- Chief Davis also added that he understands most people who come out for protests have no intention to commit crimes, but that it is their responsibility to protect and ensure the right to peacefully protest.
- How does the department ensure transparency and accountability while working with a federal agency?
- Law enforcement activities require planning, which is confidential, as it is part of a code of ethics, Chief Davis said in the video. It is not up to the Green Bay Police Department to talk about things that may be happening enforcement-wise unless it’s part of the plan to publicize things like traffic regulation.
- Chief Davis said that any law enforcement agencies wishing to come into the Green Bay community are encouraged to talk to the local police first because they know best what works in this area, and may be willing to help as long as it’s legal without a negative impact on the people.
- What would you say to undocumented residents who are afraid to leave their homes or report a crime?
- Chief Davis said that the Green Bay Police Department is here to keep anybody and everybody in the city safe, no matter what.
- “It is not relevant to that work for us to ask someone what their immigration status is. If you have a problem, as in being the victim of a crime or there’s a safety issue, we’re not going to ask you about your immigration status; we don’t need to know that.”
- “Immigration enforcement is not our responsibility, and federal immigration policy is not something that I can influence. We all took an oath to keep our community safe and to serve the community that’s here in Green Bay right now and that has not changed.”
- Chief Davis said that the Green Bay Police Department is here to keep anybody and everybody in the city safe, no matter what.
- How can someone differentiate fact from fiction on social media?
- “One of the biggest problems we’re seeing right now is this proliferation of rumors and misinformation on social media,” Chief Davis said. “There’s a lot of energy on this issue right now and people have very strong feelings on it, and that’s what people who spread misinformation on social media count on, that the heightened emotions on these issues will make it easier for people to believe things that aren’t true.”
- Chief Davis said to take everything on social media with a grain of salt, whether it’s using a fact-checking site or other resources to learn more accurate information.
- Do you have any closing thoughts?
- “The Green Bay Police Department is here to keep people safe,” Chief Davis said. “At the same time, the federal government has its authority and it’s not appropriate for us to impede that. We all have opinions, I’ve got mine, but in our organization, we don’t let those opinions get in the way of our work.”
- The Green Bay Police Department’s focus is local public safety, and Chief Davis says it will not get into the business of immigration enforcement as they aren’t trained for it.
The video can be watched in full at the following link.
