Degree Name

MA in Sustainable Development

First Advisor

Jeff Unsicker

Abstract

Immigration has had a long history in Wisconsin and since the 1600s, the push and pull factors have remained essentially the same. Today, the immigrant population in Wisconsin is largely Hispanic and there are Latino communities in every county. The Latino communities, in both rural and urban areas, continue to be relied on as a workforce in the dairy and agriculture sectors and in the processing and manufacturing sectors. In 2011, after the Republican takeover of the legislature and newly elected Governor Walker introduced his contested “Budget Repair Bill,” State Representative Donald Pridemore took advantage of the polarizing political climate and tried to gain support for anti-immigration legislation in Wisconsin.

Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) is a Milwaukee area organization dedicated to educating workers on their rights and protecting and improving the quality of life for low-wage and immigrant workers in Wisconsin. The case study format of this Capstone provides the recent political context of immigration policy in Wisconsin, describes VDLF’s campaign to stop the proposed anti-immigration legislation, evaluates the efficacy of the campaign, and provides guiding principles that can be applied to future policy advocacy work.

Disciplines

Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation

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