immigration

Since President Donald Trump was elected, there has been an increased focus on the fate of undocumented immigrants in the United States. But long before Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency, the U.S. had ramped up deportation efforts. And in 2012, the National Immigrant Youth Alliance decided to fight these deportations from the inside.

The idea of the American dream is a core part of our national identity. Starting with nothing and working your way up is what many of us believe it means to be an American. But that dream has always been complicated, as Aarti Shahani experienced firsthand. 

Every week, two dozen or so Latinos meet on Milwaukee’s south side. They're studying to become U.S. citizens. It is an often-unnoticed response to the current political climate, as President Trump made reshaping immigration the centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, his presidency, and his 2020 re-election bid. 

The Latino population — or, to use a gender-neutral term, the Latinx population — has grown steadily over the years. It accounts for almost 20% of Milwaukee's population today.

Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) came under fire Thursday night over a recent collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The message from those testifying at the Fire and Police Commission meeting was clear: move quickly on a policy that prohibits Milwaukee Police Department’s collaboration with ICE.

Hundreds of communities across the United States have designated themselves a "sanctuary" for immigrant families. Some have created policies vowing they won’t share information about a resident’s immigration status with the federal office of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

But what does a "sanctuary city" really mean? And who has a say in the matter?

Sara McKinnon, a UW-Madison associate professor, says a sanctuary city isn't an official government term.

A mural wrapped around the outside of a Milwaukee County bus that tackles immigration enforcement and family separations is sparking debate.

The Milwaukee Art Museum paid for the mural as part of a summer art program for teens. But a Milwaukee County supervisor, Dan Sebring, is demanding the artwork be removed.

Jewish residents from across the Milwaukee area gathered outside the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office Thursday. They were protesting conditions at detention centers along the southern border of the U.S. Similar protests have been taking place across the country.

The mood was sometimes somber as protesters gathered outside the Department of Homeland Security building in downtown Milwaukee, chanting and singing. Their goal: to show support for people being detained by ICE because they don't have the correct documentation. 

Many people in America are living in fear. When the Trump administration announced deportation raids in major U.S. cities, some communities were thrown into a panic.

"People are afraid to go to work, afraid to go to school, afraid to report crimes they see in the street," says Emilio De Torre, director of community engagement at the ACLU of Wisconsin.

The crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border may seem far away, but for many Milwaukeeans it hits close to home. That’s why Latinx community members have come together for an event Friday night in solidarity with the Close the Camps movement.

The event will feature a nativity scene surrounded by fencing — to draw parallels between the holy family and migrants detained in border facilities.