ICE facility proposal raises concerns in Milwaukee’s Northwest Side

The Department of Homeland Security seeks to establish an immigration detention center in Milwaukee. The facility would operate at 11925 W. Lake Park Drive in the city’s 9th District.

The proposal includes plans to modify the existing building with security features. DHS requested permission to install a sally port for transporting detainees. The project also includes adding chain-link fencing with privacy screens.

District 9 Alderwoman Larresa Taylor opposed the proposed facility on January 14. “We definitely do not support any such modifications to any building in our district (as a location to house prisoners!),” Taylor stated in a press release

The proposal arrives as the incoming presidential administration announces expanded deportation plans. The administration seeks to increase ICE detention capacity from 41,500 to 100,000 beds nationwide.

The deportation initiative would require $86 billion in initial funding through congressional approval. Implementation could affect approximately 13 million undocumented individuals currently living in the United States.

Milwaukee’s 9th District previously faced similar proposals for detention facilities. In 2021, officials proposed placing a 32-bed youth detention center in the area.

Taylor scheduled a news conference for January 15 at 1 p.m. outside the proposed location. Community organizations plan to attend to discuss concerns about the facility.

The district currently houses several correctional institutions, according to local officials. Taylor stated the area “will no longer be Wisconsin’s dumping ground for detention facilities.”

The facility’s location would impact a city where 26.6% of residents are foreign-born. Local advocates express concerns about effects on property values and business development.

DHS submitted the proposal through a third party without detailed security protocols. ICE has not released public statements about specific plans for the facility.