State of Wisconsin Archives: on Immigration
Bernie Sanders:
2007: I voted against slavery-like guest worker programs
CLINTON: We should be deporting criminals, not hardworking immigrant families who do the very best they can and are keeping economies going in many places. I'm a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform. I was one of the original sponsors
of the DREAM Act. I voted for comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. Senator Sanders voted against it at that time.SANDERS: In terms of 2007 immigration reform, yeah, I did vote against it. I voted against it because the
Southern Poverty Law Center said that the guest-worker programs that were embedded in this agreement were akin to slavery. Akin to slavery, where people came into this country to do guest work were abused, were exploited, and if they stood up for their
rights, they'd be thrown out of this country. It wasn't just me who opposed it. It was LULAC, one of the large Latino organizations in this country. It was the AFL-CIO. It was some of the most progressive members of the United States Congress.
Source: 2016 PBS Democratic debate in Wisconsin
Feb 11, 2016
Glenn Grothman:
Carefully controlled immigration protects us from enemies
America is a nation of immigrants, and there's a reason for that. America is and always has been the land of opportunity. We have prosperity. We have freedom. We have a stable and lawful society that people from all over the world want to become part of.
Unfortunately, our freedom and prosperity has also earned us enemies throughout the world that want to do us harm, and that's the real issue behind the idea of having carefully controlled immigration system.
When there are entire nations and terrorist organizations that want to bring death and destruction to America, we need to be very careful in who we allow to enter our country.
The bottom line is we need to be sure that the people we are letting in are
properly screened and examined to ensure that they come here with lawful intentions. We need to close down the border and get back to an orderly legal immigration system in order to ensure a safe and prosperous future for America.
Source: 2014 Wisconsin House campaign website, GlennGrothman.com
May 31, 2014
Glenn Grothman:
Protect the border and prevent illegal entry
Q: Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry of persons into the country?
GROTHMAN: Strongly Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Wisconsin House race
Sep 30, 2014
Kathleen Vinehout:
Farmers want their immigrant workers able to obtain licenses
Concerns about immigration and police actions worry farmers whose livelihoods depend on the skills of their devoted workers. "We hire good, hardworking, legal Mexican farm laborers who have families," said one Pierce County farm couple. "They are
continuously getting pulled over by police in the morning and receiving tickets for operating without a license." The couple was frustrated that legislative leaders were not taking up a bill to allow undocumented farm workers to get a driver's license.
Source: The Cap Times on 2018 Wisconsin Gubernatorial race
Feb 3, 2018
Kelda Helen Roys:
Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens"?
A: Strongly Support
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Wisconsin Governor candidate
May 5, 2018
Leah Vukmir:
Construct a wall on the southern border
We are either a nation of laws or we are not. Leah Vukmir's father was an immigrant from Greece. Her mother's parents were immigrants as well. Both families came the right way--legally.In the U.S. Senate,
Leah Vukmir will support construction of a wall on the southern border and efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in the United States. Leah also opposes sanctuary cities in Wisconsin.
Source: 2018 Wisconsin Senate campaign website LeahVukmir.com
Aug 10, 2017
Leah Vukmir:
First build a wall; illegals go home then re-apply
Q: Support path to citizenship for America's 11 million illegal immigrants, including "DACA" recipients or "Dreamers," who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children?Tammy Baldwin (D): Yes. Supports DACA. For other illegal
immigrants supported bipartisan bill.
Leah Vukmir (R): First build a wall. "Then we can talk about a process for those DACA residents." Other illegal immigrants must first return to country of origin before applying for citizenship.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Mandela Barnes:
Trump immigration policies make people feel less than human
[On the Southern border]: "The Trump administration has shown they have this over-willingness to make people feel less than human," Barnes said. "It speaks to the way they treat people at the border, it speaks to the whole concept of building a wall.
It's like a race to create a superior race in many aspects and it can seem very extreme but that is the direction that we are headed. We have to do everything that we can to stop it."
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on 2022 Wisconsin Senate race
Sep 21, 2018
Mandela Barnes:
Fight for pathway to citizenship for immigrant farm workers
In the Senate, Mandela is committed to fighting for a pathway to citizenship for immigrant farm workers to ensure safe and legal working conditions that will boost the economy and help address the labor shortage farms and small businesses are facing
in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mandela will support legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship.
Source: 2022 Wisconsin Senate campaign website MandelaBarnes.com
Jul 31, 2022
Mark Neumann:
Deport illegal immigrants who have committed felonies
Question 7. Do you believe that illegal immigrants that commit or have committed felonies should be deported?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Mark Neumann:
Make English the official language
Question 8. Do you think English should become the official language of the U.S. government?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Mike Gallagher:
Secure our borders to protect our sovereignty
We must also secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system to protect our citizens, our economy, and our sovereignty.
I will give our law enforcement and military the tools and support they need to keep our country safe.
Source: 2016 Wisconsin House campaign website MikeForWisconsin.com
Nov 8, 2016
Phil Anderson:
Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens"?
A: Support
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Wisconsin Governor candidate
May 18, 2018
Ron Johnson:
Address comprehensive reform after border is secure
Q: On Immigration: Should America's 11 million undocumented residents have an earned path to citizenship?Feingold: Yes
Johnson: No. Opposed 2013 bipartisan bill. Said would consider addressing after border is secure. Strong focus on first
increasing border security. Then open to considering "step by step" approach to reform legislation, including such steps as E-Verify and a guest worker program. Could then consider path to citizenship.
Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 Wisconsin Senate race
Oct 9, 2016
Tommy Thompson:
Deport illegal immigrants who have committed felonies
Question 7. Do you believe that illegal immigrants that commit or have committed felonies should be deported?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Tommy Thompson:
Make English the official language
Question 8. Do you think English should become the official language of the U.S. government?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Scott Walker:
Endorses path to citizenship for immigrant workers
Scott Walker distanced himself from House Republicans debating a new immigration bill by endorsing a path to citizenship for immigrant workers.Walker acknowledged that a substantial number of Wisconsin farms depend on migrant workers, some of them here
illegally. He also was sharply critical of how difficult the federal government makes it for those workers to come to this country."If people want to come here and work hard and benefit, I don't care whether they come from Mexico or Ireland or
Germany or Canada or South Africa or anywhere else," he said. "I want them here."
The Democratic-led U.S. Senate passed an immigration bill last week that features a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
Many conservative House Republicans oppose the bill, viewing it as rewarding law-breakers.
He said as a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 that he would sign an Arizona-style bill, which would allow local police to stop suspected illegal immigrants.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship"
Jul 3, 2013
Scott Walker:
Make it easier to enter the country legally
Walker said he is in favor of the Senate immigration bill--that features a path to citizenship--but called it a backward "Band-Aid" approach, saying elected leaders should make it easier for people to enter the country and become
legal citizens in the first place."Not only do they need to fix things for people already here, or find some way to do it, there's got to be a larger way to fix the system in the first place,"
he said. "Because if it wasn't so cumbersome, if there wasn't such a long wait, if it wasn't so difficult to get in, we wouldn't have the other problems that we have (with people living here illegally)," he said.
Walker's stance on immigration reform evolved over the years.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship"
Jul 3, 2013
Scott Walker:
2010: stop suspected illegals; 2012: that's a distraction
Walker's stance on immigration reform evolved over the years. He said as a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 that he would sign an
Arizona-style bill, which would allow local police to stop suspected illegal immigrants, if he were elected.
Then, in December 2012, Walker said he no longer favored such a bill, telling reporters that such legislation would become a "huge distraction" from accomplishing his agenda for the state.
Today, Walker said he would support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants under some circumstances.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship"
Jul 3, 2013
Scott Walker:
Stripped in-state tuition from DREAMer students
Q: Support "DACA" recipients or "Dreamers," who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children?Tony Evers (D):
Yes. Criticized Walker for supporting an end to DACA protections.
Scott Walker (R): Stripped in-state tuition from DACA students. "Should be no amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Tammy Baldwin:
Support DREAMers and earned path to citizenship
Q: Support path to citizenship for America's 11 million illegal immigrants, including "DACA" recipients or "Dreamers," who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children?Tammy Baldwin (D): Yes. Supports DACA. For other illegal
immigrants supported bipartisan bill combining earned path to citizenship with increased border security.
Leah Vukmir (R): First build a wall. "Then we can talk about a process for those DACA residents."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Tammy Baldwin:
Supports immigrants in US and immigration reform
As the daughter of an immigrant and a Daughter of the American Revolution, Senator Duckworth is an advocate for comprehensive, fair, and just immigration reform because she believes that America is at its best when we embrace our nation's rich
immigrant heritage. She understands that immigrants strengthen our economy and our communities by working hard every day to build a better life for themselves and their families and is working to advance immigration policies that reflect that reality.
Source: 2022 Wisconsin Senate campaign website baldwin.senate.gov
Oct 16, 2019
Tim Michels:
No drivers' licenses, no benefits, and no tuition
Michels has made cracking down on the people he calls "illegals" a centerpiece of his campaign. He brags in his TV ads about building a prototype for former
President Donald Trump's border wall. And he touts his "blueprint to stop illegal immigration," including "no drivers' licenses, no benefits, and no tuition."
Source: Wisconsin Examiner on 2022 Wisconsin Governor race
Jul 21, 2022
Tom Tiffany:
For border wall and against amnesty
Tom stands with President Trump as he works to secure our border to stop the inflow of drugs and human trafficking into our country. First and foremost, America needs to build a wall to secure our southern border.
Then, there can be a broader discussion about ending chain migration and a merit-based immigration process. Tom does not support amnesty.
Source: 2019-2020 WI-7 House campaign website Tiffany4Wisconsin.com
May 8, 2020
Tony Evers:
Protect DREAMers brought to US illegally as kids
Q: Support "DACA" recipients or "Dreamers," who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children?Tony Evers (D):
Yes. Criticized Walker for supporting an end to DACA protections.
Scott Walker (R): Stripped in-state tuition from DACA students. "Should be no amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Eric Hovde:
Our laws need to be enforced and our borders strengthened
We have always been a nation of immigrants, but the American Dream should be pursued legally through the appropriate channels. The Biden-Baldwin open border policy is fueling a crisis on our southern border and many people have lost their lives
because of it. Our laws need to be enforced and our borders strengthened if we want to keep our streets safe and protect the lives of U.S. citizens and migrants.
Source: 2024 Wisconsin Senate campaign website EricHovde.com
Feb 29, 2024
Eric Hovde:
Border is not really a huge issue, hyped by the right
We had an excellent starter, bipartisan bill partly written by one of the most conservative Senators, that was killed by the twice-impeached, disgraced convicted criminal Republican nominee for President because he needed a political weapon against
Biden. My point being that the hyperbole of my friends and associates on the right about the border are not really a huge issue and are made up to simply have a political agenda to whine about.
Source: Oil City News on 2024 Wisconsin Senate race
Aug 2, 2024
Eric Hovde:
Bipartisan bill would allow 5000 illegal immigrants daily
Hovde: That bill was dead on arrival. It was masquerading as a border bill but it was really funding Ukraine. Every senator once they found out what was in it was opposed to it. The simple fact is, it would have codified allowing 5000 illegal immigrants
coming into our country every single day. It wasn't going to change any of the asylum laws for immigration laws at all. Baldwin: We negotiated on a bipartisan basis in the senate the toughest border bill that they've seen in years. It would have added
1500 border patrol agents to our southern border. Had it passed in the spring, they would be there now. The bill also deployed technology to our southern border to allow us to scan every vehicle that comes through the ports of entry. But you know what?
Eric Hovde and Donald Trump wanted the political issue. They wanted the chaos. they didn't want the solution.
Source: C-Span transcript of 2024 Wisconsin Senate debate
Oct 18, 2024
Eric Hovde:
Like a rotten onion, many layers to this open border
[On the U.S.-Mexico border]: "I call it the rotten onion. And the reason why I call it a rotten onion is because, like an onion, there's many layers to this open border," Hovde said of what he deemed the second-most important issue of the election,
referring primarily to the fentanyl crisis.U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported about 10 million nationwide encounters with removable noncitizens since 2021. The Department of Homeland security defines "encounter"
as any encounter of a removable noncitizen by Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations or Border Patrol.
The legal immigration system, however, Hovde said, is "an absolute farce,"
too difficult and should be fixed. "Our legal immigration process is fundamentally broken, so we've got to fix that, and we have to close the illegal immigration process," he said.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on 2024 Wisconsin Senate race
Aug 15, 2024
Tammy Baldwin:
Bipartisan bill would have added 1500 border patrol agents
Baldwin: We negotiated on a bipartisan basis in the senate the toughest border bill that they've seen in years. It would have added 1500 border patrol agents to our southern border. Had it passed in the spring, they would be there now. The bill also
deployed technology to our southern border to allow us to scan every vehicle that comes through the ports of entry. But you know what? Eric Hovde and Donald Trump wanted the political issue. They wanted the chaos. they didn't want the solution.
Hovde: That bill was dead on arrival. It was masquerading as a border bill but it was really funding Ukraine. Every senator once they found out what was in it was opposed to it. The simple fact is, it would have codified allowing
5000 illegal immigrants coming into our country every single day. It wasn't going to change any of the asylum laws for immigration laws at all.
Source: C-Span transcript of 2024 Wisconsin Senate debate
Oct 18, 2024
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026