Milwaukee County Courthouse ICE arrests; 2 men arrested identified

MILWAUKEE - Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested two people at the Milwaukee County Courthouse Complex.

What we know:

On Tuesday, April 8, ICE released the names of the two men arrested in the Milwaukee County Courthouse complex.

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Marco Cruz-Garcia, 24, from Mexico, was arrested and detained by ICE on March 20 and 27-year-old Edwin Bustamante-Sierra of Nicaragua was detained on April 3.

On March 20, Cruz-Garcia was in court for a restraining order hearing in the main courthouse. He was out on a $2,500 signature bond in a misdemeanor battery case, accused of beating up his live-in girlfriend. At the hearing, the petitioner asked the case be dismissed.

Cruz-Garcia was arrested by ICE agents in the hallway.

ICE said Cruz-Garcia is a known member of the Sureños transnational street gang, and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in February 2020.

Court records say he no-showed his battery case last week, as he was deported to Mexico.

On April 3, Bustamante-Sierra was arrested. He has non-criminal traffic convictions out of Fond du Lac County and right now, open gun and drug cases in Milwaukee County. He's currently in a Dodge County detention facility.

According to online records, both men do not have criminal convictions in Wisconsin.

An ICE spokesperson said agents were following a directive that allows them to take "enforcement actions" in or near courthouses.

Dig deeper:

The MCSO said it was given a heads-up on the first arrest, but did not participate in either. They noted it's common for local, state and federal agencies to see when and where a person might be appearing.

Immigration attorneys told FOX6 News ICE arrests in or near courthouses aren't new, but fairly uncommon since 9-11.

Days after word of the arrests reached the public, community leaders and attorneys began sounding an alarm, saying that what happened at the Milwaukee County Courthouse is not the norm.

What they're saying:

Immigration attorneys told FOX6 News ICE arrests in or near courthouses aren't new, but fairly uncommon since the 9/11 attacks.

"If this is a solution in search of a problem – or it makes no sense – what is the point? And perhaps the cruelty is the point," defense attorney Craig Mastantuono said.

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"What's different is they're coming into our house, where we are supposed to be free to come here to get justice," civil attorney Mark Thomsen said.

The concern for community leaders is how the arrests will affect the justice system.

"Milwaukee County residents must have the same access to essential county services," Forward Latino President Darryl Morin said.

What's next:

County supervisors intend to introduce a resolution next week to begin a planning process on ways to restrict how and where ICE operates in or near the county courthouse complex.

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