ACLU of Wisconsin

NOW: Watch our policy director Amanda Merkwae speak about our work on as a panel as part of Community Shares Big Share Day.

https://www.thebigshare.org/info/live2026

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We defend basic freedoms. Every day. For every Wisconsinite. And your support makes this possible.

Today is the Big Share! Please consider making a donation. https://action.aclu.org/give/wi-donate?emci=4993b857-fa15-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&emdi=fb51acb1-1117-f111-a69a-000d3a1f0a97&ceid=7169403

Wisconsin’s legislative session is expected to conclude this month, but major decisions are still unfolding.

We’re tracking some harmful bills still moving, what’s (hopefully) died, and what to watch for as session wraps. Follow along on our bill tracker at ACLU-WI.org/Leg.

Make a Pledge: Vote for Wisconsin's Next Supreme Court Justice Take action with ACLU!

The Wisconsin Supreme Court decides cases that impact us. Pledge to vote in April, so you can have a say over who sits on our state's highest court and makes decisions that affect you, your friends, your family, and your community.

Make a pledge: https://secure.ngpvan.com/6mNIHfiVj06BfxY8bs1lJw2

Milwaukee officer accused of misusing Flock surveillance cameras • Wisconsin Examiner A MIlwaukee police officer accused of using Flock to monitor a romantic partner and the partner's ex is negotiating a deal.

Milwaukee officer accused of misusing Flock surveillance cameras, @Isiahholmes.bsky.social reports.

Wisconsin sheriffs that have active 287(g) agreements with ICE: Brown County, Calumet County, Dunn County, Fond du Lac County, Green Lake County, Kenosha County, Kewaunee County, Manitowoc County, Marathon County, Marquette County, Outagamie County, Sauk County, Sheboygan County, Walworth County, Washington County, Waukesha County, Waushara County, Winnebago County, and Wood County.

There are new 287(g) agreements in Green Lake, Dunn, and Walworth counties, bringing Wisconsin's total participants up to 19.

Local sheriffs should not be collaborating with ICE. Call your sheriff today. #End287g

Deputized for Disaster | American Civil Liberties Union Deputized for Disaster, details how the Trump administration is drastically expanding the federal 287(g) program to transform state and local law enforcement into a national deportation policing force...

Exploiting local and state law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement shifts resources away from community safety and puts us all in danger.

Read our new report in full.

Black graphic with orange and white text in all caps: This country belongs to the people. Join us in the streets Saturday, March 28. Find a protest near you." A black and white protest sign reading "immigrants are welcome here" is on the graphic.

When ICE agents tear apart our communities, we take to the streets. When the Trump administration tries to silence dissent, we just get louder.

Find a No Kings protest near you at nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=aclu

Black History Month is Every Month - ACLU of Wisconsin In a new blog post, Communications Coordinator Kwesi Foli reflects on his experiences for this Black History Month and the joy, pain and triumph that brings us together.

In a new blog post, Communications Coordinator Kwesi Foli reflects on his experiences for this Black History Month and the joy, pain and triumph that brings us together.

https://www.aclu-wi.org/news/black-history-month-is-every-month/

We responded to the criminal charges filed against a Milwaukee police officer who allegedly used Flock’s automated license plate reader system to track the location of two women — nearly 200 times — for personal reasons.

ACLU of Wisconsin Responds to Accusations Of Milwaukee Police Officer Misusing Flock Surveillance Technology - ACLU of Wisconsin Cases like these demonstrate why we can’t afford to allow law enforcement to use surveillance tools without proper oversight or safeguards to protect against misuse.

Read our full statement: www.aclu-wi.org/press-releas...

Flock’s surveillance technology scans and stores license plate data from countless drivers every day, enabling the government to keep track of where people drive and when — without their knowledge or consent and without a warrant.

These devices collect everyone’s data, not just data on vehicles associated with a crime. The accusations made against Milwaukee Police Officer Josue Ayala exemplify just how easily Flock cameras can be turned against the very people the technology purports to protect.

Assembly votes for new health coverage for incarcerated Wisconsinites  • Wisconsin Examiner The Wisconsin Assembly voted in favor of a bill seeking Medicaid coverage for people in Wisconsin prisons and jails.

Assembly passes bill to seek health coverage for incarcerated people in Wisconsin via @askennard.bsky.social wisconsinexaminer.com/briefs/assem...

Republicans quietly target Milwaukee Common Council power to set policy for police, fire departments • Wisconsin Examiner Republicans quietly amended a health care records bill to take away power over police and fire from Milwaukee's Common Council.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature quietly target Milwaukee Common Council's powers to set policy for police and fire departments via @isiahholmes.bsky.social wisconsinexaminer.com/briefs/repub...

Election Protection - ACLU of Wisconsin With our partners, we work to ensure easy, fair, and safe access to the ballot box for every single Wisconsin voter. For many years, the ACLU of Wisconsin has been engaged in Election Protection efforts alongside a broad coalition of non-partisan organizations across the state. We do this by working with our coalition partners to […]

We are seeking Wisconsin attorneys and law student volunteers to serve as non-partisan election observers on Election Day (April 7, 2026).

Find more information about volunteering: https://www.aclu-wi.org/campaigns-initiatives/election-protection/

Milwaukee leaders, law enforcement answer questions on ICE at protest safety event Milwaukee officials and community leaders hosted a protest safety event in case of a potential influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city.

Milwaukee officials and community leaders hosted a protest safety event in case of a potential influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city.

www.wuwm.com/milwaukee-le...

Air Wisconsin for decades primarily served customers traveling between Midwestern airports. Now it frequently flies between airports near major ICE detention centers.

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/air-...
#Wisconsin #Immigration #Aviation

This virtual training aims to provide education and resources related to your voting rights as well as how the Wisconsin Supreme Court works.

Join us: https://www.aclu-wi.org/event/know-your-rights-webinar-voting-wisconsin-supreme-court/

Advocacy Director Amanda Merkwae talks surveillance on the Motherhood for Good podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBLltS-5R4Y

Black History Warns Us About Surveillance - ACLU of Wisconsin Surveillance in the U.S. has always followed the same pattern: it is built and designed for Black communities and then expanded to everyone else.

This Black History Month, Policy Analyst Jon McCray Jones traces the history of surveillance from lantern laws to COINTELPRO, warning that the surveillance of Black communities creates the infrastructure for wider targeting.

https://www.aclu-wi.org/news/black-history-warns-us-about-surveillance/

BlacKkKlansman Colorado Springs, late 1970s. Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer, and Flip Zimmerman, his Jewish colleague, run an undercover operation to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.Featuring a brief but...

We're partnering with MKE Film on their screening of BlacKkKlansman, showing next Thursday.

Get tickets: https://mkefilm.org/films/696aa05e3772fa8ea21d157c/#film-details

The cost of incarceration for families is profound. It all adds up: calls, basic hygiene items, health care, and more. And remember, over half of the people incarcerated in Wisconsin are paid less than 10 cents an hour for their work assignments.

Facing low wages and high prices, Wisconsin prisoners struggle to afford their cost of living People incarcerated in Wisconsin’s jails and prisons have to pay for medicine, hygiene items, laundry, phone calls, entertainment and even health care. But with wages as low as 12 cents an hour, many ...

The Conditions of Confinement package of bills seek to give incarcerated folks a basic standard of living that every human being deserves.

www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

ACLU asks court to enforce program for incarcerated mothers • Wisconsin Examiner Incarcerated mothers in Wisconsin are suing for more contact with their babies years after a state law first required a program to help them.

A year after a court ruling affirmed that state law requires the Department of Corrections to take steps to bring together incarcerated moms and babies, DOC has failed to act. So we are suing.

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/16/aclu-asks-court-to-enforce-program-for-incarcerated-mothers/

The legislation will allow new low-income mothers to stay on Medicaid for up to 12 months after giving birth.

Wisconsin is one of only two states that does not already provide this. This is a long-overdue win for Wisconsin families.

AB 97/SB 23: Extending Eligibility for Medicaid Postpartum - ACLU of Wisconsin This bill would expand postpartum eligibility for BadgerCare from 60 days after pregnancy to 12 months. This bill expands postpartum eligibility for BadgerCare from 60 days after pregnancy to 12 month...

While Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has spent years blocking a measure to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage, the bipartisan bill finally passed the legislature today.

We look forward to Gov. Evers signing the bill into law.

WI Day of Empathy 2026 - Reimagining Supervision in Wisconsin · Dream.Org ## WI Day of Empathy 2026: Re-imagining Supervision in Wisconsin Day of Empathy is the nation’s largest day of action for criminal justice reform, bringing together directly impacted leaders, community advocates, and bipartisan allies to advance smart, safe, and humane policies. This year’s event centers on re-imagining supervision in Wisconsin. Participants will educate lawmakers on the realities of probation and parole and highlight how supervision impacts families, employment, and public safety. These conversations will help build momentum for two Dream.Org-backed bills focused on...

Join us in Madison to participate in the Wisconsin Day of Empathy, the nation’s largest advocacy day for criminal justice reform.

Register: https://www.mobilize.us/dream/event/879713/

For months, countless Milwaukeeans have spent hours upon hours in public meetings and contacted their local electeds to voice their unequivocal opposition to FRT.

This step forward is a testament to their work, but now MPD must deliver on the Chief's promise. That requires action, not just words.

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.

This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.