Though it is happening hundreds of miles away, you can see the impact of illegal immigration right in your backyard. Republicans and Democrats are arguing about what to do about the southern border, which has seen record numbers of migrants in years since President Joe Biden and his administration took over the White House. According to Reuters, about two million migrants were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol officers in 2023. By comparison, the highest number arrested during the Trump administration was just over 852,000. Republicans would like to see the Trump-era rules reinstated to crack down on immigration, including banning migrants who traveled through another country to get to the United States to be granted asylum. Democrats are tying their support to stricter measures at the border with aid for Ukraine and Israel.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin says Democrats and Republicans agree that its immigration policies at the border have been broken for decades, and something has to be done. She points out that illegal immigration activities have brought with it drugs like fentanyl into Wisconsin.

Baldwin hopes a bipartisan deal will be reached in the future to address the issues at the border. Congressional leaders agreed to a stopgap bill to fund the government until March over the weekend, but there were no specifics in the continuing resolution related to border patrol and protection.