Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin posted a video of himself Friday slamming the Trump administration for a “chilling” threat to arrest him.
“Chilling threats like this should be of concern to every Wisconsinite and every American who cares about this country and the values we hold here,” Evers said.
“As disgusted as I am about the continued actions of the Trump Administration, I am not afraid. I have never once been discouraged from doing the right thing, and I will not start today,” he added.
The Trump administration’s threat against Evers comes after the governor’s administration sent a memo on April 18 to state employees advising them on how to respond to federal immigration officials operating under President Donald Trump’s orders to round up and deport people.
Evers’ instructions echo memos distributed in other states and guidance from the National Immigration Law Center, which told officials that they do not have to grant federal access to nonpublic areas, files, or computer systems without consulting an attorney, nor do they have to speak to federal officials.
Meanwhile, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan didn’t hold back in his threats against Evers, telling reporters on Thursday to “wait and see what’s coming.”
“If you cross that line to impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that's a felony, and we're treating it as such,” he said.
This isn’t the first time that Wisconsin’s been in the spotlight lately. On April 25, FBI agents arrested Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, which she has fervently denied.
In his video, Evers noted that misinformation—like that against Dugan—has been amplified by Trump allies, like donor and DOGE bro Elon Musk.
“Republicans and their right-wing allies including Elon Musk lied about this guidance, spread misinformation, accused me of doing things I didn’t do or say, and fueled the fake controversy of their own creation,” he said.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford during her election night party after winning the election on April 1.
Musk recently bankrolled a multimillion-dollar campaign to install conservative Brad Schimel to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, an effort that was decisively rejected by Wisconsin voters who elected liberal Susan Crawford.
The Trump administration has repeatedly leaned on threats of police action against Democratic officials. Homan complained in February that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was using her office to inform immigrants of their constitutional rights.
And in March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas needed to “tread very carefully” after she spoke to peaceful protesters standing in opposition to Musk at Tesla dealerships.
The Trump team is led by a convicted felon who now insists that leaders at the highest levels of power submit to his worldview or face police retaliation.
In other words, he’s taking the same course of action used by tyrants throughout world history.
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