Civil Rights & Immigration
Immigration reform blocked from reconciliation bill in Congress, but Democrats vow to try again
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate parliamentarian has turned down a plan to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, a blow for Democrats and immigration advocacy groups when the decision was disclosed late Sunday. “We are deeply disappointed in this decision but the fight to provide […]
Riot bill’s penalties are as broad as they seem
A bill that would create a felony penalty for people who were part of a protest where rioting broke out appears to be as broad as it sounds. During a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, on Thursday, questions persisted as to who exactly the bill would apply to if […]
Sortwell hopes social media bills have uniting principles
When it comes to censorship on social media, Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) hopes to find bipartisan ground to stand on. Recently, he introduced three bills which aim to both combat online censorship and provide new avenues for free-speech challenges. “Big tech has long been violating people’s free speech rights through deleting, censoring and shadow-banning […]
Moore Omokunde presses for bill to prevent police job-hopping
For Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde (D- Milwaukee), the legislative struggle to hold police accountable hits home. As a young man growing up in Milwaukee, he’d too found himself caught in the web of seemingly discriminatory traffic stops. To a certain degree, however, Moore Omokunde had a layer of protection in these encounters. “I’d be driving […]
Wisconsin joins the Enbridge Line 3 resistance
Across Wisconsin’s western border with Minnesota, Indigenous people and allies have united in months of resistance against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. For those who have traveled to the resistance camps, what’s at stake is clear. It’s a struggle not just against a defiant fossil fuel industry, but also against what some call “the Great […]
Safar takes the helm at Law Forward
Law Forward, Wisconsin’s nearly one-year-old public interest law firm, announced Thursday that it has hired its first full-time executive director, Nicole Safar. Safar helped lead Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin for many years, including as the group’s vice president of public affairs and legal advocacy, before leaving to serve as Gov. Tony Evers’ assistant deputy secretary […]
Billions of dollars in federal rental aid remains stalled in slow-moving states, localities
WASHINGTON — Make it simpler to apply for rental assistance money. Allow landlords to apply on behalf of unresponsive tenants. And consolidate two overlapping federal programs aimed at getting financial help to struggling renters. Those were among the proposals that U.S. House members weighed during a hearing Friday on how to better help states and localities […]
Inside the Google group police used to monitor 2020 protests
Last year, as the streets in towns across Wisconsin filled with marches against police violence, local law enforcement agencies established numerous ways of sharing updates and information on the protests. One response was the Milwaukee County Law Enforcement Executives COVID/Protest group, which became an online hub for local agencies monitoring the movements of protesters in […]
A fresh face for the Wisconsin Farmers Union
Eyes sparkling over a face mask decorated with little black-and-white cows, Vivienne Kerley-de la Cruz, the energetic new policy coordinator for the Wisconsin Farmers Union, slipped into a booth at Ancora coffee shop near the Capitol. Brand new in her job, which she started in June, Kerley-de la Cruz has a background in rural organizing […]
Evers on pace for record pardons, activists push for more
Gov. Tony Evers gathered alongside members of the state’s Pardon Advisory Board and individuals who’ve received recent pardons at the Crossroads Collective in Milwaukee. Evers called the Tuesday morning gathering a celebration, not just for those present, but also for the more than 260 people who’ve received pardons under the Evers administration. “If you hear […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship
A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers; farmworker workers; those who hold a Temporary […]
Resettlement, aid efforts gear up for Afghan refugees
Fort McCoy, the Monroe County Army installation that has been receiving thousands of Afghan refugees as the U.S. military pulls out of their country, announced Thursday that it is expanding capacity to house 13,000 Afghans — nearly double the 7,000 people from Afghanistan currently housed there. Also on Thursday Gov. Tony Evers announced opportunities for […]