Here and Now
Darryl Morin on Federal Immigration Enforcement in Wisconsin
Clip: Season 2300 Episode 2345 | 6m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Darryl Morin on how federal expansion of immigration enforcement is impacting Wisconsin.
Latino Forward National President Darryl Morin discusses how legislation in Congress and actions by the Trump administration to fund and expand immigration enforcement is having impacts in Wisconsin.
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Here and Now is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Here and Now
Darryl Morin on Federal Immigration Enforcement in Wisconsin
Clip: Season 2300 Episode 2345 | 6m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Latino Forward National President Darryl Morin discusses how legislation in Congress and actions by the Trump administration to fund and expand immigration enforcement is having impacts in Wisconsin.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> The house passage this week of a tax cut and spending bill that enacts President Donald Trump's agenda, does so by adding some $2.5 trillion to the national debt over ten years.
That's after cutting more than $1 trillion in social safety net programs like Medicaid and food aid.
The bill also beefs up spending on immigration enforcement, billions of dollars for more Ice officers and the border wall, for example.
And it includes things like a thousand dollar fee on migrants seeking asylum, on immigration policy as it affects Wisconsin.
We turn for reaction to Darrell Morin, who's national president of Forward Latino.
He joins us from Milwaukee.
And thanks very much for being here.
>> Well, thank you for having me here today.
>> So passage of the bill, as you know, was not without kind of Republican infighting over its provisions.
But what is your reaction to what's in it around immigration?
>> Well, we're continuing to see an attack on our immigrant community, which we know has so many, you know, impacts our state in so many different ways.
From from the workforce and labor force shortage that we have right now in the state of Wisconsin to the very social fabric tearing apart people, tearing apart families.
And we're talking about people for the majority who are worshiping in our pews, working in our shops, helping pick our food and care for our parents.
So it's going to continue to have a profound impact on our state here.
about the numbers of immigrants in Wisconsin who have come in contact with Ice?
>> Well, fortunately, the Ice offices in the state of Wisconsin do not have the resources that we know they wish they had.
So we've seen we've seen a slight uptick in the number of detentions.
But the ones that have happened have been very high profile, such as the detentions that have taken place in courthouses, for instance.
And that was a practice that under Democratic and Republican administrations before was strictly banned because they realized the impact that would have on public safety.
But sadly, things have changed with this administration.
>> Yes, because perhaps the most visible arrest in Wisconsin was that of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, charged with allegedly helping a man evade arrest by Ice agents.
And it was shown in a photo released by FBI Director Kash Patel.
What do you make of that case?
>> Well, sadly, I fear that the FBI and the folks working there are not being led well, that issue seems to be more one about garnering headlines and trying to intimidate the courts than doing anything to improve public safety.
What's been rather surprising and welcome welcoming to see, is that so many people on both the liberal and conservative sides are actually donating to the judge's campaign to fund her.
Her her legal representation.
And in fact, she's being represented by two of the most conservative attorneys, well credentialed conservative attorneys in the state.
So I think everybody's coming together and said it's important not only to defend her, but more importantly, defend the Constitution and the separation of powers between the executive branch and the judiciary.
>> And yet, when people you advocate for see a judge arrested, what do they think about their own protections?
>> Well, there's I'm not going to deny it.
There is tremendous concern out there right now with all of the policies and rules that are changing outside of the normal channels.
We're seeing individuals across the country, even those lawfully present in the United States, being detained and deported without any due process whatsoever.
And what I think should concern every American is that a lot of those detentions and deportations have taken place despite court orders.
Saying that they're we're not to move forward, and they were not to occur.
So not only is this an immigration issue, but it's quickly becoming a constitutional issue as well.
>> We know this week that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to revoke Venezuelans protected status, as that case proceeds.
What is your and others reaction to that?
>> Oh, there's a tremendous amount of fear.
And but I think, more importantly, a feeling of betrayal amongst so many in the Venezuelan community whose vote was literally courted by the administration's campaign, you know, accusing our previous president of being a dictator and the framework of the current leader of Venezuela.
And then to see what is happening today, they are completely dismayed and disappointed and enraged and fearful because many of them are going to be returned under these conditions to an oppressive regime and will feel those repercussions in a very serious way.
>> When you consider all of the kinds of ways that the administration wants to sweep immigrants from our shores and prevent new immigrants from coming here, what stands out the most?
>> Well, being a person of faith, I can tell you that's the first thing here.
I think that I fear the administration has taken an all stick approach to this.
It doesn't have to be one or the other.
For years we've advocated with others, such as former Speaker Paul Ryan and the late, great Senator John McCain.
We've advocated for immigration reform that would not only meet our our country's security and economic concerns and requirements, but would allow us to fulfill the tenets of our faith and to be the defenders of humanity.
So we know we can have all three.
They're not mutually exclusive.
>> Darrell Modine, thanks
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