IRG’s Jake Curtis testified before the Judiciary Committee Thursday,
detailing how the immigration crisis is affecting Whitewater
What Happened?
On October 24th, Jake Curtis, General Counsel for IRG, presented testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee at a hearing in Milwaukee. The Committee was in Milwaukee to hear from community leaders in Wisconsin and learn more about how the current immigration crisis is affecting local government, law enforcement, and schools. Drawing from his most recent report on the topic, Jake outlined all of the secondary and tertiary issues that have resulted from a massive increase of illegal immigrants into Whitewater.
Watch Jake’s testimony here. (7 minutes)
Why Does it Matter?
Illegal immigration is not just an issue for those whose responsibility it is to manage this humanitarian crisis, average Wisconsinites know it is an issue too. Here is what IRG’s most recent polling data shows:
September 2024
- 34% of Wisconsin voters believe illegal immigrants will become a problem in their community if elected officials do nothing to fix it.
- 30% of Republicans believe that border security is the second most important issue in the election (the economy being the top issue).
- 43% trust Trump most to stop illegal immigration and fix our immigration system compared to 25% trusting Harris.
August 2024
- 39% want a fair system for legal immigration
- 27% want the border secure
- 16% want illegal immigration stopped
- 13% want deportation of all illegal immigrants
Who Was There and What Did They Say?
Congressional Committee Members in Attendance:
-Congressman Tom Tiffany (R) WI 8th
-Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (R) WI 5th
-Congressman Brian Steil (R) WI 1st
-Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R) WI 3rd
-Congressman Glenn Grothman (R) WI 6th
-Congressman Matt Gaetz (R) FL 1st
-Congressman Tom McClintock (R) CA 5th
-Congressman Cliff Bentz (R) OR 2nd
Who else testified?
Along with Jake, an esteemed list of individuals presented testimony to the committee. Here’s who was there and what they said:
Senator Johnson (R-WI):Â Senator Johnson gave an overview of immigration over the last number of years, noting the recent spike in illegal crossings since early 2021.
Sheriff Dale Schmidt (Dodge County):Â The Sheriff highlighted how the recent increase in illegal immigration has correlated with an increase in violent and drug-related crime in Dodge County.
Henri Kinson, Former Whitewater School Board Member:Â Henri shared data and insights on how the immigration crisis has affected Whitewater schools, with some classes having half of the students speak English as a secondary language.
Eric Toney, District Attorney (Fond du Lac County):Â Eric discussed how difficult it is to prosecute illegal immigrants or hold them responsible for simple traffic violations and accidents.
Rick Rachwal, Co-Founder of the Love, Logan Foundation:Â Rick shared the heartbreaking story about his son, who he found dead of a fentanyl overdose in his dorm room at UWM. Rick described how the flow of this dangerous drug into the US has only increased in the past 4 years.
What’s Next?
The nation’s broken immigration system continues to place an unmanageable burden on local units of government. Unless and until the federal government secures the border and repairs the nation’s utterly broken immigration infrastructure, local units of government like those in Whitewater, Wisconsin will be left to respond to the federal government’s continued failures.
IRG will continue to follow the latest developments out of Whitewater and throughout the state where increases in immigration are impacting municipal operations and safety. It is crucial that we amplify the voices of community leaders who are sounding the alarm and educate the public and lawmakers.
About IRG
The Institute for Reforming Government is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations.
