Status Pending

Our deep dive into ICE begins with a brief history of the agency and a look at how it’s changed over time. As ICE ramps up its aggressive tactics under the second Trump administration, just how much of what we’re seeing is legal?

In the coming months, Status Pending is diving deep into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We’ll look into how this relatively new agency came to be and how some experts say it went rogue. We’ll find out who ICE has been employing and what we know about detention centers. And finally, we’ll spend time looking into the surprising history of calls to abolish ICE.

There's been a boom of Yemeni and Middle Eastern coffee shops in Milwaukee and across the country. Many of them are run by immigrants. They’ve become a gathering place for Muslim Americans and others looking for a late-night hangout that doesn’t revolve around alcohol.

President Trump has ramped up an aggressive immigration policy – one that targets people without criminal records, and even people with pending asylum claims or visa applications. In Milwaukee, there may not be a clearer example than Yessenia Ruano.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has become an important figure in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, forming an alliance that is shaping deportation efforts in the U.S. A journalist covering El Salvador and a human rights advocate share what we know about what's happening.

Fifty years ago, the face of immigration in the U.S. was undergoing a major shift, from largely European immigrants to many more from Asia and Latin America. It was because of the “the bill of unintended consequences” -- a 1965 law that reshaped who was allowed to immigrate to the U.S., and who was criminalized.

Our series about the U.S.’s immigration history continues, with a look back 100 years ago. That’s when many immigrants migrated north from Mexico for the promise of a better life. What waited for people at this new border? And what did it take to fulfill the promise of a new America?

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 associate professor of psychology at Kennesaw State University in Georgia and she studies trends of anti-Muslim rhetoric. She talks about what happened in San Diego and what we should know about the rise of Islamophobia

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 action. He was a migrant worker alongside his family starting when he was 7 years old.

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?

Gal Dahan has lived in Milwaukee for six years, most of that time as an international student. Now she’s trying to figure out if there’s a path for her to stay.

Meet two sisters, "A" and "S," from Mexico, who have lived in Wisconsin since they were young children. "When DACA came out, it was like this golden ticket," A remembers. DACA allowed them to legally work and drive, but it was temporary — they had to reapply every two years. And in 2024, A and S got married to U.S. citizens, but that didn’t mean they automatically got green cards. What came next was an expensive, complex application process. Learn what it took for the two sisters to navigate the U.S. immigration system.

There’s a line we hear when people talk about immigration. A phrase that’s repeated over and over: “Do it the right way.” But what does that mean? And what’s the “right way” in a time like this, when the rules seem to always be changing? On Status Pending, we’ll break down the different ways people come to this country, the hurdles that have existed for years, and the new ones people are facing in real time. The limited run series starts November 12th, with new episodes each Wednesday. Status Pending is produced by Jimmy Gutierrez, Emily Files, Audrey Nowakowski, Xcaret Nuñez, Katherine Kokal, Maria Peralta-Arellano, Valeria Navarro-Villegas and Samia Saeed. Editorial support from Ann-Elise Henzl and Michelle Maternowski. Design support from Erin Bagatta.