January 27, 2026
Dear Beloved Community of WISDOM,
My heart is with deep sorrow for the senseless deaths and the pain experienced by members of the Minneapolis community affected by recent ICE actions. On behalf of MICAH, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones who are grieving. We stand in solidarity with those seeking safety and justice.
We reject violence and any actions that tear communities apart. Our nation’s strength comes from welcoming and protecting people who seek to live with dignity and peace. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
Our national network, Gamaliel, has called for solidarity and organized a Network Day of Action on Friday, January 30, 2026. At a recent meeting with Gamaliel held this past weekend, organizers and leaders from across the WISDOM network began strategizing our local response. This week, the Senate is voting on the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) budget that would provide ICE with even more unrestricted taxpayer dollars. We are calling on the Senate to deny funding for state sponsored violence. As some counties in Wisconsin have reported seeing ICE in their communities, our elected officials have not stepped up to lead with love for Wisconsinites. Some counties have 287g agreements, many counties have made no plans to protect their constituents from ICE. We are proposing a call-a-thon is focused that calls our elected officials to lead with care and dignity for all. We are asking all WISDOM affiliates and leaders to join this call to action. Please share this information with WISDOM’s affiliate Board Chairs and Organizers; further details and instructions are attached. We are also asking WISDOM to take on the role of coordinating this action. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns as we prepare to act together.
Respectfully yours,
Rev. Kathleen Gloff, President of the Board, WISDOM
Overview of Action:
Call to action is for each affiliate to host a call-a-thon on Friday, January 31st, as part of Gamaliel’s day of action. Each affiliate would find a congregation that would host their call-a-thon. The affiliate would invite their members to gather at that congregation and together they would call their local sheriff’s office or police chief, local council reps, and state representatives to demand a public plan to protect protesters should federal law enforcement, such as ICE, come to their community. If the affiliate is in a county where a 287g agreement is in place, the affiliate could also demand an end to that agreement. The proposed call script is below.
Goal is for all affiliates to act on the same day. Could be combined with a rally or press conference or other action.
Call Script
Hello,
My name is [blank] and I am a constituent of yours. I am calling as part of [insert affiliate], a member of WISDOM Wisconsin because I am outraged by the recent killings of civilians by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a person of faith, I stand firmly for the dignity of all my neighbors and respect for life. As my representative, I want to know what you will do if ICE decides to come to this community. [wait for response]
[if no plan/inadequate plan] That’s not enough. Elected officials like you are supposed to make this community safe and especially when ICE feels like they have the right to harm Americans.
[if adequate plan in place/ICE already there] When will you publicize this plan? My neighbors and I need to know that our elected officials are ready to keep us safe, when ICE shows up and acts the same way they are in Minnesota.
Thank you. This is important to me because [insert story or value that shows why this is important you and/or your affiliate].
I urge you to [create a plan or publish plan] today. ICE is unpredictable and I want to know that my elected leaders are leading in this moment.
Potential Elements of a Strong Safety Plan (affiliates should decide what a strong plan looks like for their municipality):
- prohibits ICE from operating in or near our public spaces including our hospitals, courthouses, government service centers, places of worship, parks and schools
- that prohibits ICE from using public facilities for staging activities
- that requires ICE agents to wear clear identification and no masks when operating in our state
- protecting the 1st Amendment rights of those protesting or documenting ICE activity
