Local Officials, Advocates Seek Help for Whitewater Migrants

Frederica Freyberg:
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin was unable to join us this week. In support of the border security bill, she said, “This bipartisan compromise was a promising opportunity to invest in high tech border security, disrupt the deadly flow of fentanyl into our country, streamline our asylum process and ensure Wisconsin communities receiving migrants have the resources they need.”
As to resources needed, last week we heard from city officials in Whitewater who hope the state government will soon allow migrants to earn a driver’s license. This week, we take a look at what the community is doing to support the newcomers and what other support the city might need.

Kristine Zaballos:
It’s another generation of families coming here trying to get jobs, feed their children, get their children through school.

Nathan Denzin:
Conservative estimates assume about 800 to 1,000 migrants from Central and South America have come to Whitewater since 2022, straining local resources.

Miguel Aranda:
We’re trying our best.

Nathan Denzin:
Some of the most vulnerable in that population are children.

Miguel Aranda:
To really — how can we advocate for these children.

Nathan Denzin:
Miguel Aranda is a member of the Whitewater School Board and a second-generation immigrant from Mexico.

Miguel Aranda:
So if we can advocate for funding for resources to make it a smooth transition for a lot of these families and their children, that’s what I’m going to continue advocating for.

Nathan Denzin:
With this new influx of students, Aranda says the school district needs more funding. Wisconsin currently sits on a $3 billion budget surplus.

Miguel Aranda:
Coming from this state, I would understand if there’s no money, we have to make our decisions, but to know that there’s a surplus, it almost looks like the money is being dwindled right in front of our faces.

Nathan Denzin:
But there are places in Whitewater that have acted as a stopgap to help the new arrivals.

Kristine Zaballos:
Our mission is to meet the needs of the community, whatever they are.

Frederica Freyberg:
Kristine Zaballos and Kay Robers are co-founders of the Community Space in Whitewater. Their mission is to provide everything a person might need, from bedding to furniture to food, all for free.

Kay Robers:
If they’ve never been here before and they come in and see all of these things and we tell them that they can just have it, they don’t understand.

Kristine Zaballos:
I had the privilege of witnessing somebody coming in, maybe having their worst day and coming in and just needing some support, some food, some whatever, and seeing them slowly relax and realize we’re not going to ask them for any papers.

Kay Robers:
They were really happy to be able to, you know, let us know what their life was like.

Nathan Denzin:
The Community Space has been accepting donations since 2019 but has ramped up its efforts in the last two years.

Kristine Zaballos:
I’d certainly like to say that there has been no crisis. Have we had to stretch and adjust? Absolutely. But there is no crisis.

Kay Robers:
We’ve gotten so we can communicate pretty well. We have — we use our — translate on our phones and they will also reach for their phone.

Nathan Denzin:
They’re open on Tuesdays, Wednesday nights and Saturdays as a complement to the local food pantry.

Kay Robers:
I can stand up in the middle of the room and say is there anyone here that’s bilingual? And inevitably, I’ll get a 9-year-old child, which is awesome, and I always say to the child, you know, isn’t your mother proud of you? Tell her you did a really good job and we’re proud of you.

Kristine Zaballos:
We like to think half of what we do is what we share and give away and half of what we do is how we make people feel.

Nathan Denzin:
City officials are also looking to get help for the newcomers.

Dan Meyer:
I think the underlying theory here is that we know we need resources.

Nathan Denzin:
Dan Meyer is the chief of police in Whitewater.

Dan Meyer:
This is apolitical. We have no dog in that fight. We simply need more staffing.

Nathan Denzin:
He says over the last two years, his department’s work has gotten much more difficult and time-consuming.

Dan Meyer:
One of the things that has been difficult for us as law enforcement is just working with a population that, generally speaking, is not trusting of government because they come from a place where they don’t trust their government.

Nathan Denzin:
To try and get some help for the city, Meyer and city officials sent a letter to state and federal officials in December.

Dan Meyer:
We need more, more officers so that we can get out and patrol at the level that the community is used to having us out there.

Nathan Denzin:
But the letter requested more than just a boost in law enforcement funding.

Brienne Brown:
This is a situation where we are a poor town that has limited resources and not enough shared revenue from the state and we would like to help people make sure that they’re getting jobs, you know, shelter, food, all those things.

Nathan Denzin:
Brienne Brown is a member of the Whitewater Common Council.

Brienne Brown:
We need the larger picture to be focused on. The real problem is not that there are people here, it’s just that the city’s not prepared.

Nathan Denzin:
Meyer and Brown say they have heard from local officials who seem willing to help. Plus Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin plans to visit the city soon to see what she can do to help. Wisconsin’s other U.S. Senator, Ron Johnson, visited with city officials back in November.

Ron Johnson:
So obviously, President Biden, Democrats do not want a secure border.

Nathan Denzin:
During a press conference, Johnson blamed what he called a flood of migrants in Whitewater on the Biden administration. But while city officials look wherever they can for resources, immigrant advocates say the new arrivals should not become political scapegoats.

Miguel Aranda:
There’s a reason why we are here. I have my own family here. I don’t have any plans of leaving Wisconsin.

Kristine Zaballos:
It’s really contributing to the vitality in our community.

Nathan Denzin:
For “Here & Now,” I’m Nathan Denzin in Whitewater.