Press Release: Unions, Politicians Urge ICE to Leave MSOE Campus

Denying ICE a space to operate from is one of the most tangible ways we as a community can actually resist their terror in meaningful ways (as opposed to the simple messaging bills coming from the Common Council). We wholeheartedly support YDSA MSOE’s efforts and hope to continue applying pressure to the MSOE administrations. Get ICE out of our city!

MILWAUKEE, WI — Today, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Chapter of the Young

Democratic Socialists sent an open letter to MSOE President Dr. Baumgartner. The open letter requests

transparency regarding the university’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement

(ICE), along with a commitment to end future collaboration with ICE. Dozens of organizations, elected

officials, and MSOE staff signed onto the letter, including the American Civil Liberties Union of

Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Teachers and Educators Association, State Rep. Ryan Clancy, and

Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic.

The large ICE presence on campus spreads fear among students at MSOE. The ICE Field Office for

Enforcement and Removal Operations sits in the heart of MSOE’s campus, which the university has

controversially owned since 2023. It is the only facility in the city of Milwaukee actively detaining people

for ICE operations, with data analyzed by the Vera Institute of Justice showing as many as twenty seven

individuals detained in a single day. Additionally, public records from USAspending.gov show that

MSOE entered into another contract with the Department of Homeland Security. This contract allowed

agents at the ICE Field Office access to the university’s fitness center and athletic equipment.

Lack of communication with students and the broader community continues to fuel the tension on

campus. The vague FAQ released by MSOE last October failed to provide clarity, as it did not mention

ICE, nor MSOE’s reasoning in failing to push back on the federal government’s request to extend their

lease with the university. The actions described by the open letter outline the necessary first steps in

rebuilding trust: commitments to ending collaboration with ICE, and statements providing

transparency and reassurance for students at the university.

A full copy of the letter, including all actions discussed and signees, can be found at

https://mkeydsa.org/letter_for_msoe_baumgartner.pdf

About Milwaukee School of Engineering YDSA: Milwaukee School of Engineering YDSA is an

autonomous and democratically organized branch of the Young Democratic Socialists, the student and

youth wing of the Democratic Socialists of America. Members of the Milwaukee School of Engineering

YDSA are students at MSOE organizing to build a better world.

About YDSA: The Young Democratic Socialists of America is the youth and student section of the

Democratic Socialists of America, and a national organization of recognized campus chapters and

several hundred activists. We are students organizing in our universities, colleges, and high schools to

fight for the immediate needs of workers and students while building our capacity to fight for more

radical and structural changes.

Please refer to www.dsausa.org for all media enquiries relating to the Democratic Socialists of America.