Charles and David Koch have launched a multimillion-dollar marketing effort aimed at persuading Latinos to vote Republican in 2016, and Milwaukee is high on their list of targeted cities. The Libre Initiative recently announced it’s in the process of hiring a state field director based in the Milwaukee area. The director won’t have to travel far to coordinate with the group’s national spokes.... Read More
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders this week introduced a plan to reform the nation's immigration system. The U.S. senator's plan puts families first, focuses on common sense reforms to build the middle class and embraces our nation’s diversity, according to a news release from his campaign. “As we gather with our loved ones to give thanks, we should reflect on the fact that not all families .... Read More
The White House accused new House Speaker Paul Ryan on Nov. 2 of "pandering to the extreme right wing" of his party on immigration. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Ryan's recent comments on immigration reform are "preposterous" and disappointing. The Wisconsin Republican said on Nov. 1 that he's ruled out passing comprehensive immigration legislation while President Barack Obama is in.... Read More
A coalition on Nov. 2 rallied in support of a Milwaukee County budget amendment to create a work group to produce a Milwaukee ID card. After the rally, about 20 people spoke in support of Milwaukee IDs during a hearing held by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. The ID would be available through a partnership between the city and the county. The budget amendment creating a work group to pr.... Read More
A coalition of progressive community organizations and public officials on Oct. 5 are announcing their support for legislation creating a local identification card to be available to all people in the city of Milwaukee. The program would be established through a city-county partnership. Milwaukee IDs will benefit many undocumented and under-documented people, including immigrants, formerly incarce.... Read More
A bill that would prohibit communities from becoming so-called sanctuaries for people in the country illegally and that would limit the types of acceptable personal identification will cause distrust between police and the communities they serve, progressive and immigrant groups say. Nayely Perez-Huerta, regional organizer for the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, spoke of Pope Francis’ words .... Read More
Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin's leading immigrant rights group, is calling on its supporters to help "defeat GOP racism in the streets and at the ballot box." The Milwaukee-based nonprofit said the Republican presidential candidates are following Donald Trump "down the rabbit hole of open white supremacy" in a news release issued on Aug. 31. “The Republican Party has become the 'Party of Trump.... Read More
Siddharth Jaganath wanted to return to India after earning his master’s degree at Texas’ Southern Methodist University. Instead, he built a new life in the U.S. over a decade, becoming a manager at a communications technology company and starting a family in the Dallas suburb of Plano. “You start growing your roots and eventually end up staying here,” the 37-year-old said. His path is an i.... Read More
In an interview this morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, Gov. Scott Walker suggested that building a wall along the country's northern border with Canada is a legitimate issue that merits further review. The U.S.-Canada boundary is the longest international border in the world at 5,525 miles long. Republican candidates for president have often taken a get-tough approach on deterring illegal immigra.... Read More
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include Scott Walker's third flip flop on the issue this morning on a Sunday TV news program.] This morning on ABC's This Week, Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker changed his position on birthright citizenship for the third time since Donald Trump raised it as a campaign issue. "Birthright citizenship" refers to automatic citizenship for.... Read More
