Skip to main content
Know This Now

Know This Now, December 12, 2025: Wisconsin Hispanic and Business Leaders to Congress: Americans want work permits for long-term immigrant workers

By December 12, 2025December 15th, 2025No Comments

A new Marquette Law School poll shows most Americans, 72%, would support a law issuing work permits to long-standing, law-abiding immigrants in the U.S. without legal status.

ABIC, Comité de 100, Latino Chamber of Commerce of Southeast Wisconsin, and other business leaders gathered at Milwaukee City Hall Thursday to urge members of Congress and the Trump Administration to provide work permits for long-term law-abiding immigrants and citizenship for Dreamers on the heels of this data.

“We are asking that people who are already paying into the system receive the same protections that others receive. This is an issue on which most agree,” said Alderman José G. Pérez, President, Common Council, City of Milwaukee, at the press event.

Watch highlights on X of remarks from Darryl Morin, President & CEO at Advanced Wireless, Inc., Comité de 100 State Captain – Wisconsin, Sam Sanchez, CEO, Third Coast Hospitality, and Comité de 100 Co-Chair and Kate Battiato, Vice President of Media and Community Impact, LeadingAge Wisconsin.

“[Worker] shortages slow economic growth, reduce productivity, and limit the ability of businesses large and small to meet demand. Meanwhile, immigrants who have lived in our communities for years, including DREAMers and long-term workers are ready and willing to contribute more fully,” said Dr. Nelson Soler, Chief Strategy Officer at MEI Marketing, President & CEO of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Southeast Wisconsin.

More from the ABIC Network:

United for Chicago Announces ‘Chicago Bites Back’ Campaign to Support Businesses in ICE-Impacted Communities

The new campaign encourages Chicagoans to support restaurants in neighborhoods disrupted by recent ICE and Border Patrol activity and shift everyday spending toward independent, local businesses. In partnership with the Illinois Restaurant Association and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the campaign features a new restaurant guide to help residents choose local spots for dining and catering.

“Chicagoans have asked ‘What can I do to help? How can I support my neighbors?’ Chicago Bites Back answers that question…This is a great way to fuel the independent restaurants that keep Chicago vibrant,” said Rebecca Shi, CEO of ABIC and United for Chicago supporter.

WSJ: Trump Tightens Work Permits for Migrants, Expanding Crackdown on Legal Immigration

The Trump administration is shortening work permits for asylum seekers and other humanitarian immigrants from five years to 18 months to allow more frequent vetting. The change, reversing a Biden-era policy, affects new permits and could worsen labor shortages, including for senior care, said Rob Liebreich, CEO and president of Goodwin Living and an ABIC member.

An even smaller pool of potential workers could raise prices for care, Liebreich said.

“Not having a strong labor force is really difficult…There’s a huge reality that we need more hands, more trained hands.” – Rob Liebreich, CEO and President of Goodwin Living and an ABIC Member

Democrats Flip Miami Mayor’s Office for First Time in Decades: Win Tests GOP Gains With Hispanic Voters Ahead of Midterms
Eileen Higgins turned Miami blue for the first time in nearly 30 years by dominating Democratic precincts, winning independents decisively, and cutting into Republican margins, even after her opponent Emilio González received Trump’s endorsement. Precinct data shows she won independents 60–40 and secured about one-third of the vote in GOP precincts.

Her performance among independents and Hispanic voters signals potential backlash to Trump’s aggressive deportation policies, which analysts say may be pushing Hispanic swing voters away from the GOP.

Watch Comité de 100 Co-Chair Sam Sanchez, of Third Coast Hospitality, respond to the news:

News Briefing

Trump Proposes $12 Billion in Aid to Farmers After ‘Exceptionally Difficult Year,’ But Proposed Relief Won’t Address Labor Concerns 

President Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package to help farmers hurt by his trade war with China this week, saying the money will provide short-term stability as crop prices fall and costs rise. Most of the aid will go to major row crops like soybeans and sorghum, which were hit hardest after China scaled back purchases.

Farmers say the support helps but doesn’t fix long-term problems such as lost markets, high input costs, mounting financial pressure on smaller producers, and concerns over labor shortages. Farmers across the country – from Pennsylvania to the Midwest, to Idaho and more– have been raising the alarm in recent months over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics worsening labor shortages and threatening their farms’ viability. 


President Donald Trump’s Approval Rating on Immigration Continues to Fall, According to New AP-NORC Poll

The latest polling numbers show Trump’s approval rating on immigration continuing to slip, down from 49% in March to 38% in December, and disapproval up to 60%.




WSJ Opinion: The Economics of Immigration Argues for Credible Enforcement of Entry and Integration of Those Here

Roland Fryer, a professor of economics at Harvard and a founder of Equal Opportunity Ventures, writes that Trump’s mass deportation plan, aimed at reducing crime and protecting jobs, contradicts decades of research showing undocumented immigrants commit less crime and have little impact on wages of American-born workers. Deportation would be costly, disrupt industries, and weaken public safety.

Higher immigrant concentrations are not associated with more crime.
They are often linked with less crime.

Source: 2018 Annual Review of Criminology, cited in WSJ

The most effective policy pairs credible border enforcement with integration, treating immigrants as contributors rather than outsiders, strengthening communities and the economy, Fryer writes.

AP: Trump’s Crackdown on Immigration Is Taking a Toll on Child Care Workers

President Trump’s mass deportation efforts are heavily affecting the child care sector, which relies on immigrant workers and is already facing shortages. About one-fifth of U.S. child care workers are foreign-born, and in some cities the proportion is around 40%.

Many immigrants in the field work legally, but recent deportation actions and the end of Temporary Protected Status programs have forced some to leave. The result is a loss of thousands of child care workers, creating challenges for parents and increasing anxiety, fear and stress among remaining staff and students.

NYTimes: New Orleans Restaurants Feel Squeezed as Border Patrol Sweeps In

New Orleans restaurants are struggling as a Border Patrol crackdown creates fear among immigrant workers. Many cooks, dishwashers, and delivery drivers are staying home, forcing some eateries to temporarily close or limit menu items. The city’s dining scene, which relies heavily on immigrant labor, is facing supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages.

Survey: 80% of Republicans Support Immigration Solutions Prioritizing Security, Legal Immigration Pathways
A recent survey by the Bullfinch Group and National Immigration Forum found that 80% of Republican registered voters support immigration solutions that balance border security, targeted enforcement, asylum updates, and legal immigration pathways. Overall, 77% of all voters backed these measures. The findings suggest broad bipartisan support for policies that secure the border while enabling legal immigration to meet economic needs.

NYTimes:A Scientific Pipeline to the Nobel Prize Fueled by Immigrants
Immigrants are central to U.S. scientific achievement, with three of this year’s American Nobel Prize winners born abroad. They have driven breakthroughs in fields from semiconductors to quantum physics, creating trillions in economic value and millions of jobs.

Experts warn that Trump-era immigration restrictions on visas, foreign students, and green cards threaten this talent pipeline and could weaken U.S. leadership in science.

Enforcement News:

Sen. Curtis (R-UT) Calls for ‘Compassionate’ Immigration Enforcement Amid Trump Crackdown
Senator John Curtis of Utah urged more compassionate immigration enforcement, emphasizing that empathy and the rule of law can coexist. Curtis criticized both harsh ICE practices and protesters who interfere with enforcement, calling for balance in addressing immigration.

“I think all of us need to…look in the mirror and say, ‘What are we doing? What am I doing specifically today, to make this country a better country, to make our all of our immigrants feel more welcome?” -U.S. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah

ICE Arrests of People With No Criminal Records Rose in NC Before Border Patrol Surge
New federal data shows that ICE arrests in North Carolina have increasingly targeted people with no criminal records while arrests of those with convictions have declined. In Mecklenburg County, about 67%of recent arrests involved individuals without charges or convictions. The surge in arrests preceded a high-profile Border Patrol operation in Charlotte, which caused fear among residents and disruptions to local schools and businesses.

Around 75,000 People Arrested by ICE This Year Did Not Have a Criminal Record

New data from the Deportation Data Project shows that in the first nine months of President Trump’s second term, over 74,000 people arrested by ICE, more than a third of total arrests, had no criminal record. Among the remaining arrests, about half involved people with pending charges, and most convictions were for minor offenses such as traffic violations.

Data has consistently shown that most people arrested by ICE do not have a criminal conviction:

Get Involved

  1. Join one of ABIC’s Councils of 100 and let your voice be heard with your peers – sign up here. The Council of 100 is a coalition of top business leaders working to advance common-sense workforce solutions.
  2. Share your story: If your business is interested in engaging with the press as part of ABIC or amplifying your story on social media, take this quick survey to let us know your preferences. 
  3. We’re hiring! ABIC is looking for a National Field Director to help lead our national campaigns. Learn more and apply here.

Always available: ABIC Employer Resources Folder

ABIC in the news. . . 

View all recent coverage here