Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin posted a video of himself Friday slamming the Trump administration for a “chilling” menace to arrest him.
“Chilling threats like this should be of concern to every Wisconsinite and every American who cares about this country and the values we hold here,” Evers mentioned.
“As disgusted as I am about the continued actions of the Trump Administration, I am not afraid. I have never once been discouraged from doing the right thing, and I will not start today,” he added.
The Trump administration’s menace towards Evers comes after the governor’s administration despatched a memo on April 18 to state staff advising them on how to answer federal immigration officers working beneath President Donald Trump’s orders to spherical up and deport folks.
Evers’ directions echo memos distributed in different states and steering from the Nationwide Immigration Legislation Middle, which informed officers that they don’t have to grant federal entry to nonpublic areas, information, or pc techniques with out consulting an legal professional, nor have they got to talk to federal officers.
In the meantime, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan didn’t maintain again in his threats towards Evers, telling reporters on Thursday to “wait and see what’s coming.”
“If you cross that line to impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a felony, and we’re treating it as such,” he mentioned.
This isn’t the primary time that Wisconsin’s been within the highlight currently. On April 25, FBI brokers arrested Wisconsin Decide Hannah Dugan, accusing her of serving to an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, which she has fervently denied.
In his video, Evers famous that misinformation—like that towards Dugan—has been amplified by Trump allies, like donor and DOGE bro Elon Musk.
“Republicans and their right-wing allies including Elon Musk lied about this guidance, spread misinformation, accused me of doing things I didn’t do or say, and fueled the fake controversy of their own creation,” he mentioned.
Musk just lately bankrolled a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign to put in conservative Brad Schimel to the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket, an effort that was decisively rejected by Wisconsin voters who elected liberal Susan Crawford.
The Trump administration has repeatedly leaned on threats of police motion towards Democratic officers. Homan complained in February that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was utilizing her workplace to tell immigrants of their constitutional rights.
And in March, Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi informed Fox Information that Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas wanted to “tread very carefully” after she spoke to peaceable protesters standing in opposition to Musk at Tesla dealerships.
The Trump workforce is led by a convicted felon who now insists that leaders on the highest ranges of energy undergo his worldview or face police retaliation.
In different phrases, he’s taking the identical plan of action utilized by tyrants all through world historical past.
