(Milwaukee, November 5th, 2025)— Voces de la Frontera joins local leaders and organizations to call on law enforcement and community partners in Marathon County to work together for community safety — not through fear and deportation, but through trust and collaboration.

The proposed 287(g) agreement between the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department and ICE threatens to erode that trust by turning local officers into federal immigration agents. Across Wisconsin and the nation, these programs have led to racial profiling, wrongful detention, and the separation of families, all while making communities less safe.

Safety is built through partnership, not policing alone. Local governments, faith leaders, immigrant families, and law enforcement must come together to address the real issues affecting public safety: access to mental health care, addiction recovery, youth engagement, and violence prevention. When all residents, regardless of immigration status, trust that calling 911 won’t lead to deportation, everyone is safer.

We urge the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office to reject the 287(g) agreement and instead join efforts that unite the community:
Partnering with faith and civic groups to build dialogue and trust, supporting immigrant families who are vital to the local workforce and economy,
and promoting policies that protect, rather than divide, our neighbors.

“Sheriff Chad Billeb, as an elected official, should not have signed this agreement without engaging the community and local leaders in a transparent, democratic process that ensures accountability and information sharing. There is still time to do so and reverse course,” said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera.

Across Wisconsin, community members have united to fiercely oppose local law enforcement entering into 287(g) agreements, because they do not want to see them co-opted to serve as “force multipliers” to ICE’s abuses that include: violent arrests and racial profiling by masked ICE agents, and baseless arrests of hard-working immigrant families without due process.

Wisconsin’s strength comes from communities that stand together, rooted in dignity, justice, and care for one another. Voces de la Frontera remains committed to building those partnerships in Marathon County and across the state.

Available for comment:
– Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera @ christine@vdlf.org
– Luis Velásquez, Organizing Director, Voces de la Frontera @ luis@vdlf.org