“They’re Part of Our Society”: Tony Evers to Veto GOP Crackdown on Wisconsin Sanctuary Cities, Illegal Aliens
A new GOP bill would cut funding to counties that refuse to cooperate with ICE deportations, but Democrats choose illegal aliens over Wisconsinites.
Wisconsin Democrat Gov. Tony Evers aims to protect illegal aliens from deportation by promising to veto a Republican bill that cracks down on the state’s unlawful sanctuary cities before it was even introduced, hailing illegal aliens as “part of our society.”
State Sen. Julian Bradley (R-Waukesha) introduced a bill yesterday requiring individuals held in county jails on felony offenses show proof they’re in the country legally or be reported to the Department of Homeland Security. The bill also forces sheriffs to comply with federal warrants to detain suspected deportable aliens and participate in a program that reimburses them for incarceration costs—instead of passing them onto Wisconsin taxpayers.
Counties that refuse to comply with the law would lose 15% of their annual state aid under Wisconsin’s $1.5 billion revenue-sharing program.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issues a detainer when a law enforcement agency checks a suspect’s fingerprints against a national immigration database, revealing a potential immigration violation. Experts report that 70% of ICE arrests nationwide result from a detainer and transfer of custody from a different, often local, law enforcement agency. Florida, Texas, and Iowa, among other states, have already mandated compliance with these detainers.
Illegal aliens are “part of our society,” Evers told reporters, “they’re doing a lot of great work and if we mess around with this and dance Donald Trump’s dance our economy in Wisconsin will go right down the tubes. It’s as simple as that.”
Evers’ reply on vetoing the bill: “Amen.”
“It's telling how different our priorities are," Sen. Bradley told Restoration News. "I'm working to ensure cooperation between law enforcement to remove dangerous criminals while Gov. Evers and legislative Democrats are putting illegal alien felons above law-abiding citizens.”
Enforcing Immigration Law, Top to Bottom
Some 70,000 illegal aliens live in Wisconsin, including murderers, drunk drivers, and thugs from the ultraviolent Tren de Aragua gang. Voters responded by backing Donald Trump and passing a clear ban on non-citizen voting in 2024. Polling shows historic majorities support Trump’s mass deportations.
It’s a federal crime to aid, abet, or encourage illegal immigration into the U.S. punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Yet Democrats—led by Evers—have established sanctuary cities to block ICE officials from carrying out these lawfully mandated deportations.
Dane and Milwaukee Counties were listed as “non-cooperative institutions” in a June 2042 ICE report, despite past Republican efforts to outlaw it in the legislature. Dane Co. Sheriff Kalvin Barrett has refused 90% of ICE requests to hold deportable aliens in local jails until federal officials can take them into custody. After Trump took office in January, Barrett withdrew from the program that reimburses localities for incarcerating illegal aliens; Sen. Bradley’s bill would require Dane Co. rejoin it.
Madison and Dane County are also joint members of a far-left program that uses taxpayer-funded lawyers to defend illegal migrants from ICE deportations, including those accused of violent crimes.
Statewide, just 8 Republican-run counties, including Waukesha, have ICE agreements to hold illegal aliens in jail until ICE takes custody of them—something they say rarely happened under Joe Biden.
In contrast, Wisconsin Democrats vowed in January to outlaw local law enforcement from aiding ICE deportations or using state funds to detain illegal aliens. One left-wing agitator claimed it would help those who “pick our crops and clean our office buildings.”
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