Status Pending

This week, the U.S. is set to celebrate its 250th birthday. What did immigration look like 250 years ago, in 1776? That’s when the largest driver of immigration to this country was forced migration, or slavery. Our series looks at what happens when you take a long view of immigration, and include all our country’s history.

The World Cup started across the U.S., Mexico and Canada last week. In Milwaukee, a soccer program is working to close an access gap for Latina girls and provide a safe space for Latino families to come together and play.

A survey of low-cost childcare provider Head Start shows that families are keeping their children home as ICE enforcement ramps up. Kids who come to childcare are acting out and showing signs of stress.

Last week there was a shooting at San Diego’s Islamic Center. Three people were killed and the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. A few days later in Milwaukee, there was a panel event celebrating the new book Muslims in Milwaukee, a deep study into the history, placemaking and challenges in Milwaukee’s Muslim community, which includes fighting Islamophobia. Dr. Anisah Bagasra is an a...

During President Trump’s second term, the U.S. refugee program has been decimated. The number of new arrivals has plummeted, and refugees already in the country are now facing a freeze on green card processing and cuts to public benefits. Last year, we talked with two brothers from Afghanistan about building a new life in Milwaukee, and how refugee resettlement providers have helped them.

We’re listening back to a conversation with one of Milwaukee’s celebrated labor leaders who fought for migrant workers’ rights: Jesus Salas. Salas co-founded Obreros Unidos (Workers United), which led a historic march in 1966, demanding lawmakers address violations of the state’s minimum wage laws and housing codes. For Salas, defending migrant laborers and their rights is a personal call to actio...

Paleteros, or traditional Mexican ice cream vendors, are a fixture on Milwaukee south side. Here's the story of one of the vendors, told by a local artist, Paula Lovo, who has a lifelong love of paleteros.

Artist Christie Tirado's life is defined by migration. Her parents moved from Mexico to the U.S. in search of better job opportunities. Growing up, Tirado frequently traveled to visit family in Mexico. On these trips, she became fascinated with how culture is passed down. That’s the subject of her art exhibit in Milwaukee. You can see some of Tirado’s work here .

In January, the Trump administration paused visa processing for people from 75 mainly African, Asian and Latin American countries. It left a lot of refugees already living in the U.S. in limbo. Some of their employers laid them off, wrongly thinking that they weren’t authorized to work.

Two young organizers, one undocumented and one not, share how their personal experiences led them to advocate for immigrant rights and immigration reform. They’re part of Comité Sin Fronteras, an advocacy group in Milwaukee.

Janeth and Lizeth Zorrilla are originally from Mexico, but have lived in the U.S. since they were children. In 2017, they opened La Finca Coffee House in a suburb of Milwaukee. The business is inspired by their Mexican heritage and even features coffee beans from their grandfather’s farm in Oaxaca. In 2024, WUWM asked them to share their story as immigrant entrepreneurs.

Her father was in critical condition in a hospital in Mexico, after a tragic motorcycle accident. But as an immigrant and DACA recipient, she was concerned about traveling to see him. We talk to one woman who is watching how ICE in airports could affect people like her. And, an immigration attorney shares the air travel advice she’s giving her clients.

A recent piece in Milwaukee Magazine digs into how life has changed for immigrants in the Milwaukee area, amid the federal immigration crackdown. It shares the stories of DACA recipients, undocumented parents, asylum seekers and more as they navigate legal hoops to build lives, families and careers in the U.S.

In February, the Trump administration announced the end of its immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. But some ICE operations there continue, and the surge of ICE agents also spilled over into western Wisconsin.

ProPublica reporters have been looking into the living conditions inside the Dilley detention center in Texas, where immigrant families and children are held.

Throughout U.S. and Wisconsin history, the idea of who gets to be a citizen has changed. At times, it’s been broad and welcoming. And other times, it’s been more restricted.  Read the full story at wuwm.com/makingwisconsin.

2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Hmong refugees resettling in the U.S., but what drove many out of Laos? And how have they made a home in Wisconsin, which is home to the third largest Hmong population in the country?  Read the full story at wuwm.com/makingwisconsin.

Throughout our local and national history, there have been waves of sanctuary movements stemming from religious organizations, activists and legislation. Sergio González, Marquette University assistant professor of history and author, explores sanctuary and how it shaped our history and politics today.  Read the full story at wuwm.com/makingwisconsin.

Waves of immigration to Milwaukee have made our home a multicultural and vibrant city. But it hasn't always been a warm welcome. Here's a rundown of immigration to Milwaukee and Wisconsin.  Read the full story at wuwm.com/makingwisconsin.

Over the next four weeks, the Status Pending team is going to share a series we did last spring, called “Making Wisconsin.” It’s about how immigration has shaped our city, state and country. It provides some really helpful context for this moment. Stay tuned as WUWM continues to bring you conversations and stories about immigration.

Faith communities help newly-arrived international teachers and immigrant families find apartments, furnish their homes and navigate the health care system. 

How do you think about the future when you have no clear path to citizenship in the country you call home? Hear from a young undocumented woman who has lived in the U.S. since she was a child.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach the National Domestic Violence hotline at 800-799-SAFE. When a crime is committed against someone without legal status in the U.S., it can open a pathway to a green card for the victim. But it comes at the cost of proving your abuse.

Two Nigerian teachers moved to Milwaukee to teach in Milwaukee Public Schools. Now, changes to H-1B visas have forced the district to pause hiring international teachers.

Over the past year, there may be no pathway to U.S. citizenship that has changed more than that of refugees. So, what did it used to mean to be a refugee? And what's changed?