Early this past September, Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner issued a statement regarding 287g agreements and Kenosha County. 287g agreements are official agreements between ICE and local law enforcement, enabling varying levels of cooperation inbetween the two. In his statement, Sheriff Zoerner indicated that it such an agreement isn’t “in the best interest of the taxpayers of Kenosha County… at this time.” The CUSH Immigration Task Force feels strongly that any such agreement wouldn’t be in the best interest of this community at any time. Please see the letter sent to Sheriff Zoerner by the CUSH Immigration Task Force. We have yet to receive a response to our communication.
Congregations United to Serve Humanity
Immigration Task Force
Sheriff David W. Zoerner
Kenosha Sheriff’s Office
1000 – 55th Street
Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140
October 6, 2025
Greetings, Sheriff Zoerner.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your recent news release about the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department’s approach to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) Program. We appreciate your clarity that the program does not address current needs of the County and is not financially advantageous to us at this time.
As members of the CUSH Immigration Task Force, we are grateful that the resources of the County are not being used to conduct business that belongs properly to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We believe that it is crucial that all of us who live in Kenosha County be confident that your officers are there to be of service to us and to help us in dangerous or frightening situations. This should be the case for all of us, even our neighbors who may lack legal documentation. We all want to be your partners in making Kenosha County safe and secure for everyone. If your department were to participate in the 287(g) program, that trust would be threatened. Those without documents would be unlikely to report crime to you or ask for assistance if it might mean arrest or deportation for them.
As people of faith, we believe that we are all sisters and brothers in the family of God. Our work as a Task Force is to do all that we can to help undocumented people learn about any immigration benefits for which they are eligible and to do all that we can to prevent the separation of families due to imprisonment and deportation. We are grateful that your decision not to have the Sheriff’s Department participate in the 287(g) program helps support our work by clarifying the boundary between the service and law enforcement you provide from immigration enforcement.
Sincerely,
The CUSH Immigration Task Force
Sister Erica Jordan
Marlene Tack
Sandy Milligan
Harriet Lavin
Katherine Andrysiak-Montemurro
CUSH Religious Leaders Caucus
Rabbi Dena Feingold | Rabbi Emerita | Beth Hillel Temple
Rev. Kathleen Gloff | Pastor | Somers Community United Church of Christ
Rev. William Horne
Rev. Wesley J. Isberner | Pastor | SpiritAlive! Church
Sister Erica Jordan | OP | Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
Rev. Dr. Susan Patterson-Sumwalt | Senior Pastor | First United Methodist Church
Rabbi Hannah Wallick | Rabbi | Beth Hillel Temple
