ICE Raids in Rural Wisconsin: Small Towns Unite

0:00On April 5, federal agents are hitting small towns in rural Western Wisconsin, with deportations, grabbing dozens under Trump's mass push. These conservative spots like Baldwin over 95% white with a growing immigrant crowd thought they'd stay quiet, but ice showed up big, time. A kicked off around Thanksgiving near the Twin Cities, then spread out in December targeting Mexican spots, Ecuadorian markets, home stores, and... Highways folks use for work. Agents stayed in local hotels, making arrests easier in these low-key areas with less street pushback. Immigrants are hunkered down, like one Venezuelan dad caring for his 18-month-old after agents nap his wife driving nearby, she signed to. Leave, begot stuck, weeks before heading to Columbia. Kids call teachers crying, family skip outings, and naturalized folks tote passports everywhere. Businesses like a dark Mexican grill are trying to reopen, hiring cooks and servers, while markets buzzed doorbells for entry.

1:02Aid crews deliver food, cover bills, and give rides, busier now as folks catch up on doctors and repairs. Residents demanded village rules against icy, staging, but the board dodged it. Police chief insists no teamwork. Tensions simmer with unpaid debts and whispers of more raids, yet locals from all sides are rallying proving small-town care beats the divide.