The
House passage this week of a tax cut and spending bill that annex President Donald Trump's
agenda does so by adding some two and a half trillion dollars to the national debt over
ten years.
That's after cutting more than a trillion dollars 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 Daryl Modine, 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 impacts our state in so many different ways 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.
What can we understand about the numbers of immigrants in Wisconsin who have come in contact
with ICE?
Yeah.
Well, fortunately, the ICE officers in the state of Wisconsin do not have the resources
that we know they wish they had.
So we've seen a slight uptick in the number of detentions, but the ones that have happened
have been very full, 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 Cash 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 welcoming to see is that so many people on both the
liberal and conservative sides are actually donating to the judge's campaign to defund
her legal representation.
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 were 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.
But I think more importantly, a feeling of betrayal among 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, much in 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 the fear that 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 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.
Dero Modin, thanks very much for joining us.
Thank you.
I hope you didn't pick up my phone right here.
I just got some override tax act that made a little noise.
Did you pick up on that?
No, we didn't.
In fact, my watch also did something similar, but I think we're good.
Yeah.
Maybe.
So I hope there's something in there you can use.
That's a good thing.
Yes, yes.
Do you want me to talk about it from a federal perspective or from a state perspective?
Okay.
Let me say that we are on the record of supporting AP50's assembly bill AB57 that would ban
federal officials and state officials from assisting them in going into sensitive sites.
And those sensitive sites include locations such as schools, hospitals, houses of worship
and courthouses, because we know the negative impact they'll have in the community, the
fair they'll create, and the adverse effect that they have on public safety.
And when it comes to the houses of worship, I think everyone can agree regardless of
what side that aisle you're on, that our country should take the protection to worship
when and where you want to very seriously.
So we're on record supporting that and we hope it does get the traction and the boast
it deserves in the assembly.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Okay.
Of course.
Anything else I can do just let me know and I wish all of you a wonderful holiday weekend.
Thank you.
Okay.
And to you as well.
Thank you.