Immigration operations in neighboring states inspire local action

Following the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, many Milwaukee residents have felt called to prepare their own communities for a potential increase in immigration enforcement, and to support those protesting in Minnesota.

Angie Capelle, a Milwaukee resident living in Shorewood, said she has participated in several local anti-immigration enforcement protests. However, after seeing footage online of the shooting of Good, she packed up her bags and drove to Minnesota to join protests in the Twin Cities.

“That incident really made the cities ground zero,” Capelle said. “The murder of Alex Pretti ramped it up even more.”

Capelle participated in a protest at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Jan. 18. She said while she was there, she felt overwhelmed to see how people came together to support others, whether that be through protesting, providing food for neighbors or establishing local communication networks.

While a large-scale immigration enforcement operation is not underway in Milwaukee, communities across the city have turned fear into action by establishing local mutual aid networks, hosting fundraisers for immigrants’ rights groups and driving donations to nonprofits in Minneapolis.

When Capelle returned home, she said she was grateful to see her community coming together to organize emergency plans, participate in trainings hosted by immigrants’ rights organizations and pull together donations for nonprofits in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

“Right now, it’s about preparing but not causing panic … so that, when and if what’s happening in the Twin Cities happens here, we’ll already be organized and ready to activate at a moment’s notice,” Capelle said.

Supporting efforts in Minnesota inspires local action

Nic Banach moved back to Milwaukee in January 2025 after spending years in Minnesota. Banach, who lives in the Bay View neighborhood, said he feared for his friends in Minneapolis before federal immigration operations in the city made national headlines.

Banach said he felt inspired to donate to St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community, an organization located near where Good was killed that collects food and clothing donations.

Banach said he collected over $600 in donations from friends and neighbors, visited local grocery stores to purchase food, and visited thrift stores to purchase coats, hats and gloves.

He then drove his car full of boxes of donations over 300 miles to Minnesota to support families who may be afraid to leave their homes due to the increase in federal immigration enforcement.

“More than the goods that were delivered, more than the stuff we provided, is the sense of connection and community that everyone involved really had through the effort,” Banach said.

“My part felt good in being that conduit for folks to feel connected to that community.”

Distributing whistles to neighbors

While in the Twin Cities, Banach said he saw several community members distributing whistles to protesters and neighbors.

The whistles are used to alert the community when immigration agents are in the neighborhood or making an arrest.

When he returned to Milwaukee, Banach said, he decided to use his own 3D printer to print whistles for his neighbors.

He printed over 300 whistles, using a model he found online for an “extremely loud quad-toned whistle.”

He said he distributed the whistles to his friends who work in frequently visited community spaces like libraries and hospitals. His friends gave out the whistles to their community members and co-workers. He also left several whistles inside the little free libraries installed in front yards in his neighborhood.

“With these whistles, I’m finding that there’s a little bit more of a sense of safety by having one,” Banach said. “If we never use them, that’s fine by me, as long as people feel better by having them.”

Banach said through his actions he hopes his neighbors feel inspired to find their own creative ways to support the Milwaukee community.

Strengthening food access for those nervous about immigration enforcement

On Oct. 24, Cassandra Ortega, who lives on Milwaukee’s south side, started a little free pantry in her front yard at South 21st Street and West Carpenter Avenue, shortly after SNAP benefits were cut after the government shutdown in the fall.

Her little free pantry is now helping to feed families who may be afraid to leave their homes due to the potential presence of federal officers in Milwaukee and the large-scale immigration operations in neighboring states.

“We really are rooted in serving neighbors that were facing food insecurity or food access issues, but now there is this added layer of fear,” Ortega said. “We wanted to be able to help our neighbors who were facing that fear.”

In December, Ortega said, she organized a meal-kit drive through seven local schools for students who struggle with food access when school isn’t in session. With the help of neighbors, Ortega said she was able to collect donations of 1,248 nonperishable food items, to make 278 kits that each feed four people.

In total, Ortega said she was able to feed over 1,000 people through the meal kits in addition to the families that came to visit her front yard pantry each day.

After seeing food security concerns shared online from families impacted by federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, Ortega said, she began organizing similar meal kits for families in Milwaukee who may be afraid to leave their homes.

After Ortega posted about the meal kits on several Milwaukee-based Facebook groups, at least 10 families messaged her requesting a meal kit, she said.

She said several neighbors asked if they could donate items, help assemble the kits or drop off the kits for families who request them.

“It’s been really powerful to see how the community’s responded,” Ortega said. “It was a reminder that when our community is struggling, people really do want to step up for one another.”

Raising funds for immigrants’ rights organizations in unique ways

Carl Duran, a fine-line tattoo artist at Riverwest Tattoo Company, hosted a fundraiser on Feb.1 to help raise money for the Wisconsin-based immigrants’ rights organization Voces de la Frontera.

Feeling inspired to give back after hearing the news of immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, Duran, a graduate of Milwaukee High School of the Arts, chose to host the fundraiser for the organization to support its mission in protecting civil rights for members of immigrant communities.

“I’ve never done any type of fundraiser like this before,” Duran said. “But now, with everything going on, things are more intense and scary for a lot of people. I just felt like now would be the right time to bring awareness.”

Duran designed a set of flash tattoos, pre-designed artwork that includes flowers, peace signs and melted ice cubes.

Duran also included designs with phrases like “dreamer,” “sanctuary for all” and “fearless” in his flash tattoo set.

Duran’s discounted tattoos ran for $80 for one or $160 for two. He donated 100% of the proceeds to Voces de la Frontera.

Duran said he chose to donate to Voces de la Frontera because the organization combats misinformation surrounding federal immigration enforcement in Wisconsin and organizes local protests for the community.

“There’s people here right now in Wisconsin saying that ICE is here already, and that causes a lot of misinformation for people who are already scared to go take their kids to school and to go to work,” Duran said.

Meeting neighbors in common gathering spaces

On Sunday, Feb. 1, Julio Guerrero, a community organizer on Milwaukee’s south side, set up a station at the El Rey Grocery store on Chavez Drive to distribute whistles and pamphlets to shoppers.

Guerrero said he wanted to distribute the materials in a predominantly Latino community since there is a chance they could be targeted if there is an increase in federal agents in the city.

The pamphlets include information on how to use the whistle if someone spots immigration agents in the neighborhood and the phone number for Voces de la Frontera’s rapid response hotline.

“To me it’s just community education,” Guerrero said. “It has very direct instructions for people so they can pull it out of their pocket or out of their purse if they’re in a bad situation and they don’t know what to do.”

While there is not currently a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Milwaukee, Guerrero said he felt it was important to prepare the community for that possibility, and to establish networks of support.

“We’re sending the message that we’re willing to work together, put our differences aside and be united as a community to try to protect as many members of our community as we can,” Guerrero said.

Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: [email protected].

Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Zilber Family Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Immigration operations in neighboring states inspire local action

Reporting by Alyssa N. Salcedo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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