Assembly Republicans Pass Critical Illegal Immigration Legislation

Madison– Representative Piwowarczyk and Assembly Republicans passed Assembly Bill 24, which requires county sheriff assistance with certain federal immigration functions.

“As a former law enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand how important it is to keep dangerous individuals off our streets. This bill ensures we take every opportunity to hold individuals who threaten public safety pending federal action.”

According to a New York Times poll, 87% of Americans now believe illegals convicted of crimes should be deported, that includes 83% of democrats.

Specifically, this bill requires sheriffs to verify the citizenship status of individuals arrested for felonies – I want to stress – for felonies – and, if the citizenship status is unclear, to inquire with ICE. If ICE issues a detainer, the sheriff must hold the individual for up to 48 hours to allow federal authorities to take necessary action.

This bill improves cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE and mandates that sheriffs track the number of persons unlawfully present in Wisconsin jails and their crimes.

The bill focuses on accountability. We must ensure the safety of our communities, including holding jurisdictions accountable that may not be doing their part to cooperate with federal authorities. There is a human cost to their inaction, and there is a fiscal cost to taxpayers through recidivism. I am deeply concerned that some local jurisdictions, including Dane County and Milwaukee County, have severely limited their cooperation with ICE.

“Many Wisconsin sheriffs are already doing what they can to identify illegal immigrants in their jails and cooperate with ICE holds. This bill won’t affect them. It will affect those who refuse, imperiling the safety of all Wisconsin citizens as we all know that criminals are transient.”

Governor Evers announced that 2025 is the “Year of the Kid”. Let’s hold him to that, we passed the legislation to put it on his desk to protect our kids.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.