Nonprofit volunteer says she was fired for confronting ICE in Milwaukee

Nonprofit volunteer says she was fired for confronting ICE

A volunteer said she was fired for confronting ICE in Milwaukee. Now, Milwaukee County supervisors want the nonprofit to investigate.

MILWAUKEE - A volunteer said she was fired for confronting ICE in Milwaukee. Now, Milwaukee County supervisors want the nonprofit to investigate. 

Fired for confronting ICE?

What we know:

The Milwaukee Urban Stables is a nonprofit where Milwaukee Police Department horses are stationed. It also hosts educational programs and provides horse-based therapy for veterans and students. 

On Oct. 29, volunteer Heather Asiyanbi was driving in when she spotted ICE officers from the Enforcement and Removal Operations division in the parking lot. Asiyanbi said she told the officers to leave the private property. 

That same day, Asiyanbi said she was let go from her volunteer position. 

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"All I could think about was, we do learning and therapy here. This can't happen in this space, like we can't do that. And so my only thought was protecting the sanctuary of the barn and the beautiful work that is done there. And that's really all I ever thought about. Still, all I'm actually thinking about," said Asiyanbi, a former stables volunteer. 

Heather Asiyanbi

Milwaukee County supervisors react

What they're saying:

Now, three Milwaukee County supervisors want the nonprofits board to investigate how ICE was granted access to the lot. Supervisors Juan Migual Martinez, Jack Eckblad and Steven Shea condemned the stables' handling of the situation. 

"While the Executive Director, Mary McIntosh, may not have directly organized or sanctioned the ICE presence that morning, it is deeply troubling that ICE was welcomed and that a volunteer was punished for standing up to them," said Supervisor Martinez. "This was not an Urban Stables-approved event. The board and staff did not authorize their use of the parking lot. The narrative must be corrected."

Supervisor Eckblad added, "Let us be clear, ICE’s adulteration of spaces that must be safe for our children including schools, churches, and non-profits that serve our youth, is a threat to public safety and our social fabric. Milwaukee Urban Stables must immediately clarify what policies it has in place to protect the children in their care from the unwarranted coercion of ICE officers."

Supervisor Shea said, "We must protect community organizations from becoming platforms for coercion or intimidation. Nonprofits like MKE Urban Stables exist to serve Milwaukee’s youth, not to facilitate federal enforcement actions. I stand with the volunteer and with all community members who demand that our public spaces remain safe and inclusive."

Milwaukee Urban Stables reaction

What they're saying:

In a statement, Milwaukee Urban Stables stated the following: 

"On October 29, 2025, an incident occurred at MKE Urban Stables involving what appeared to be the staging of law enforcement officers affiliated with ICE. We want to clearly address the situation, reaffirm our policies, and provide accurate information to our community. First and foremost: the activity that took place on our site was not authorized by MKE Urban Stables. Staging by ICE—or by any law enforcement organization—is not permitted on our property. Our facility exists to serve the community as a center for outreach, equine-assisted programs, and mental wellness. Activities that conflict with this mission are not allowed. We were not alerted to any ICE or other federal agent actions expected to take place on Oct. 29. Upon following up with the Milwaukee Police Department, leadership there acknowledged they were not aware of any intent by federal authorities to use the parking lot for staging purposes. While MPD does not have the authority to tell federal agencies to not use that property, it did confirm the understanding that our parking lot would not be used when MPD participates in a law enforcement operation.  We also want to clarify misinformation circulating about the dismissal of a volunteer. The volunteer was not dismissed for disrupting an ICE staging. In fact, we share the concern of many in our community: we do not want ICE or any other law enforcement agency staging operations on our site. The volunteer was dismissed for a different reason. They did not report the activity to MKE Urban Stables staff until after they confronted the law enforcement officers, which is a violation of our volunteer policies. Their independent confrontation with the officers created a potential safety risk to themselves and others on site. Additionally, the delay in notifying staff and eventual posting on social media complicated our ability to quickly communicate with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and to confirm that MPD was not involved in the staging. Our partnership with MPD is essential to our mission. Together, we use the Stables as a place for healing, trust-building, and community engagement. Posting about the incident publicly before confirming that MPD had no involvement strained this important relationship and made it more difficult to conduct responsible outreach. At the same time, we want to be very clear: our partnership with MPD does not mean we condone or support overreach by ICE or any other law enforcement agency. Our commitment is, and always will be, to the well-being of our community and to ensuring that our site remains a safe, welcoming environment for all. We remain dedicated to transparency, community trust, and our mission of providing meaningful, restorative programs at MKE Urban Stables."

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FOX6 News asked ICE why it was staging on the private property. We have not received a reply. 

Milwaukee police officials said they were not participating in the staging, and do not have information about who was.