Wisconsin
Immigration a top GOP issue in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has had more than its share of campaign visits this year, but there’s been just one to Prairie du Chien, a community of about 5,500 residents along the Mississippi River.
This was no accident. As former President Donald Trump addressed supporters from a high school gymnasium, he spoke in front of a posters of mug shots, including one showing the face of a non-citizen who was recently arrested in Prairie du Chien on multiple felony charges.
During the visit, Trump told the crowd that “every state is a border state.” He accused President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of enabling illegal immigration. And he tied the issue to violent crime, despite multiple studies showing immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.
“I will liberate Wisconsin from this mass migrant invasion of murderers, rapists, hoodlums, drug dealers, thugs and vicious gang members,” Trump said.
In Wisconsin, Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to rank immigration as a top issue,
according to a recent survey of registered voters from the Marquette University Law School
. And though Wisconsin is more than a thousand miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, immigration has emerged as
one of the top issues
between Trump and Harris.
Trump regularly invokes anecdotes about immigration and crime. But despite some high-profile individual cases, University of Wisconsin-Madison sociologist Michael Light says research shows increased immigration is not tied to higher crime rates.
“Criminologists have been studying the issue of immigration and crime for over a century and, generally speaking, what we find is that immigrants tend to have lower crime rates than native-born U.S. citizens,” he said. “It’s a fairly consistent finding.”
Light says
recent studies suggest
that pattern holds true, whether an immigrant is here legally or illegally.
“Obviously, undocumented immigrants do commit crimes,” he said. “But the question is, is that level of criminality higher than for other groups? And, generally speaking, the research that we have suggests no.”
If he’s elected, Trump has pledged to revive a program known as Title 42, which restricted immigration on public health grounds, and to restore a policy requiring migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are pending. He’s also said he would end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally — a pledge that has raised constitutional concerns.
Harris has emphasized her support for a bipartisan border proposal which would have included more funding for the border patrol as well as anti-fentanyl enforcement. Harris says she supports an “earned pathway to citizenship” for people who already live in the U.S.
Since President Biden took office in 2021,
unauthorized border crossings reached a record high of of nearly 2.5 million in 2023
, according to federal data about the number of people apprehended by border patrol agents for trying to cross between official ports of entry. Those numbers
h
ave fallen in 2024
after the Biden administration cracked down on eligibility for asylum claims.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Political Science Professor Anthony Chergosky thinks the issue puts Harris and her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at a disadvantage.
“I don’t think the Harris-Walz ticket is trying to win the issue of immigration and border security,” Chergosky said. “I think they’re trying to reduce the Republican advantage.”
Agricultural industry worries
Trump’s
promise to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history
has raised alarm bells from agricultural industry groups, including the right-leaning Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the left-leaning Wisconsin Farmers Union.
Tyler Wenzlaff, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, says mass deportations would worsen a labor supply shortage.
“This is especially true in dairy farming, because it requires yearlong labor,” he said. “It’s a 24/7, 365 industry.”
According to one survey
from the School for Workers at the UW-Madison, thousands of immigrant workers without legal residency perform an estimated 70% of the labor on Wisconsin dairy farms.
Tina Hinchley, a dairy farmer in Cambridge, says the industry would be “crushed” without their contributions.
“They are necessary for us to have America’s Dairyland,” she said. “If we did not have these people that work tirelessly on our farms and care about our cows and work alongside us, just like family members, we would not be able to do what we’re doing.”
Trump has repeatedly accused immigrants of taking jobs from native-born Americans, but Hinchley said that doesn’t reflect reality.
“There is not enough help in our rural communities,” Hinchley said. “There is not enough people that want to get up at four in the morning and work all day around cows.”
GOP voters driving the focus on immigration
At Trump’s rally in Prairie du Chien, area resident Kevin Johll said he believes the former president is the right person to get the country “back on track” by ensuring strong border security.
“We want people to come to the country,” he said. “We want them to do it legally. You know, there’s laws and orders in this country.”
Frank Walterscheit, who lives in the Poynette area, said he hasn’t been impressed by how Harris has “flip flopped” on border security.
“She’s the one that created this mess, so I don’t know how she’s gonna fix it,” he said. “She’s had three-and-a-half years, and she hasn’t done anything.”
According to
Marquette’s polling
, 31% of Republicans listed immigration as their top issue, behind only the economy. For self-described independent voters, the number was 6%. Among Democrats, just 1% said it was their top issue.
Jon Sutton responded to Trump’s visit by protesting with other Crawford County Democrats. He said he was disturbed by how the former president was using one criminal case in the small Wisconsin city to demonize a whole group of people.
“It kind of gives a bad, almost a black eye to the town,” Sutton said. “A lot of the the Trump campaign is based on immigration, and what I perceive as as sort of racist and and anti-immigrant sentiments that I just don’t share.”
Joe Schulz contributed reporting. Wisconsin Public Radio can be heard locally on 91.3 KUWS-FM and at
wpr.org.
© Copyright 2024 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
______________________________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.
Wisconsin
Tranfser Portal Predcition: Wisconsin trasnfer John Blackwell likely to land with contender
John Blackwell is one of the more sought-after players still available in the NCAA transfer portal. Big-time programs are coming after the former Wisconsin Badgers guard. And now, On3’s Joe Tipton is calling his shot on where Blackwell will end up.
Tipton has put in an RPM for Blackwell to commit and sign with the Duke Blue Devils. His level of confidence sits at 60%. If Duke head coach Jon Scheyer can get this one over the finish line, it could prove to be a massive addition.
“Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal,” Tipton said. “The 6-foot-4 shooting guard took an official visit to Duke on Monday and the Blue Devils are carrying the momentum in this recruitment. I’ve officially placed an RPM prediction in favor of Duke to ultimately land the star transfer.”
The On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings have Blackwell slotted as the No. 5 overall player to enter this cycle. Just looking at shooting guards, only one guy is ahead of him — Wake Forest‘s Juke Harris.
Blackwell spent three seasons in Madison before entering the transfer portal. He was in double figures over the last two years, averaging 19.1 points during the 2025-2026 campaign. Duke will enjoy his efficiency as well, shooting 43% from the field and 38.9% behind the three-point line.
There is more to what Blackwell can do than just shoot, though. He snagged just over five rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists per game.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Before the RPM pick from Tipton, the latest update on where things stood with Blackwell came on Saturday. Tipton laid out who else is still considered to be in the running, including a visit schedule for the Wisconsin transfer. You can check out the full piece of intel here.
Duke has turned into one of the more consistent programs in college basketball, playing at a high level under Scheyer. The last three seasons have resulted in at least an Elite Eight appearance, even making the Final Four in 2025. Still, the expectations in Durham are to win a national championship. Maybe Blackwell is the guy who can help them take the next step forward.
Wisconsin
Rubber bullet carnage as 1,000 animal welfare activists storm beagle breeding lab in Wisconsin | Fortune
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
“I just feel defeated,” activist Julie Vrzeski told the newspaper about three hours into the operation after no dogs had been successfully seized.
Activists later moved from the Ridglan facility to protest outside the jail in downtown Madison.
The group Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs had publicized plans to seize the dogs Sunday but launched its operation a day earlier. The X account of the group’s leader, Wayne Hsiung, posted a picture of him being arrested.
The sheriff’s department said a person who “recklessly” drove a pickup through the front gate of the property was arrested, “preventing a potentially deadly outcome.”
Protesters broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Twenty-seven people were arrested on trespassing and other charges.
Ridglan has denied mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website it says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
Let’s talk:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
Report a typo or error
-
Sports1 minute agoPGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
-
Technology7 minutes agoAlexa+ lets you order food like a real conversation
-
Business13 minutes agoNew lawsuit alleges Uber is violating drivers’ rights. Here’s how
-
Entertainment19 minutes agoReview: Trigger warning? ‘For Want of a Horse’ gives new meaning to the term ‘animal lover’
-
Lifestyle25 minutes agoMore is more in this L.A. ‘barn’ exploding with thrifted finds and maximalist flair
-
Politics31 minutes agoFormer state Controller Betty Yee drops out of the governor’s race
-
Sports43 minutes agoPrep talk: Another book is out from running coach Martin Dugard
-
World55 minutes agoAppetite among NATO members to join Iran war ‘very limited’, says Eide