Governor Evers Warns State Workers to be Cautious if ICE Shows Up at Their Workplace

Thursday, April 24th, 2025 -- 10:00 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration is warning state workers to be cautious if Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows up at their workplace.

According to Sarah Lehr with the Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin’s Department of Administration sent a memo late last week to staff at cabinet agencies.

The DOA is not aware of any recent instances of ICE showing up at state agencies or offices, DOA spokesperson Tatyana Warwick said. “The guidance was developed in response to agency staff who have asked about what to do should such a situation arise,” Warwick wrote in an email to WPR.

The memo instructs staff to first ask for a name and badge if an agent from ICE or another federal entity shows up or requests information. It says that staff should not answer questions or provide files or computer system access without first talking to their agency’s legal counsel.

And it warns against letting the agent into non-public areas of the building. That could include spaces other than the lobby, restrooms or elevators. Those steps should be taken even if the agent provides a warrant, DOA has advised.

“The agent must have a judicial warrant” to go beyond publicly-accessible areas of the building, the memo says. “Your attorney will advise you on what areas are covered by a warrant.” Wisconsin Republicans have blasted the memo, and accused Evers of ordering public employees to obstruct ICE.

“The very fact that Tony Evers is instructing his employees to either break federal law or not cooperate with law enforcement is a new low for Tony Evers,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said during a news conference Tuesday. “Now he’s telling every single state employee to ignore a warrant. It’s really embarrassing.”

But Tim Muth, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, disputed that characterization. “This was a pretty plain, vanilla document that is consistent with the Fourth Amendment,” Muth said in an interview with WPR.

“I don’t see this as doing anything more than asking state officials to be respecting the privacy of persons who are involved with that particular agency.” Muth said consulting a lawyer before letting ICE conduct a search seems like “sound advice.”

“Knowing what’s a valid warrant or not a valid warrant is something that the average layperson may not be able to determine by themselves,” Muth said. “If ICE is complying with its obligations under federal and state law and under the Constitution, they shouldn’t be concerned about having to fulfill these requirements.”

Muth said he believes the DOA’s guidance may have been prompted by the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a Biden-area policy that barred immigration-related arrests from taking place at “sensitive” locations, like schools, churches and hospitals.

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