Whitewater: The Hometown Border Town

Through the cornfields and dairy farms, saturated with the smell of grass, wheat and fertilizer, lies Whitewater, Wisconsin, the epitome of a rural Wisconsin farm town that the Potawatomi tribe used to call “Minnieska.” Whitewater features one main road, the classically named “Main St.” that is lined with old-time shops with peeling paint and small-town history.  

Mexican grocery stores with shelves lined with candy and spices are sandwiched between dusty storefront windows and the flickering neon signs.

These are the signs of a community whose culture is expanding in diversity and that has landed squarely into the center of a heated national immigration debate.

At first glance, one might not believe that this tiny dot on the Wisconsin map is the subject of national controversy, its name coming out of right and left-leaning politicians’ mouths, a political jumping-off point for a divisive issue gripping the nation. The city has plunged into the forefront of the American immigration debate, earning national headlines because of a letter that the local police chief, Dan Meyers, wrote to President Joe Biden as well as many other politicians, expressing concerns because of a dramatic increase in migrant people, largely from Venezuela and Nicaragua. The letter, a direct request for help in the face of policing challenges that came with the new population, received both criticism and praise and became central to the immigration debate on a national scale.

The former president, in his first Wisconsin rally in two years, even mentioned what was previously best known as a college town, the home to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, which educates 11,000 students a year.

“Look no further than the town of Whitewater, Wisconsin. Inundated with Biden migrants, this tiny town now has a budget shortfall of over 400,000,” Trump said, speaking at a rally a few hours away in the better-known Green Bay. “The public schools are straining with hundreds of new migrant students who don’t speak a word of English. The police force is being diverted from traffic stops to migrant crime, and their town is becoming a hotbed for cartel activity and illicit drugs like no one has ever seen before.”

However, when immersed in the Whitewater community, far from the polarized political rhetoric, the issue becomes much more nuanced. A team of journalism students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee traveled for the day to Whitewater to see for themselves how immigration has altered this small Wisconsin town. They found that the reality is a lot more complicated than the political rhetoric.

“Some people will project that they (migrants) are all criminals, and that’s not the case,” says Charles Mills, owner of Mills Automotive, a Whitewater Automotive shop that proudly displays an American flag, a pro-police flag, a pro-Israel flag, and Christian flag. “I would say 99% of them came here because it’s a better life. I go to Spanish Mass to get to know my neighbors.” Yet he’s bluntly for Trump, calling him the best president in history, and his shop routinely tows cars stopped by local police because people don’t have driver’s licenses.

The migrant population, however, is a large customer of Mills’ business. “Not by choice, but because they can’t drive, so we have to haul their cars because we are a towing company for the police department,” he said.

As Whitewater’s name is thrown left and right in the national media, what’s notable about this central Wisconsin farm town is not how the community is divided; rather, how they are not. How most, regardless of political stance, understand nuance, compassion and humanity. When one thinks of Whitewater, Wisconsin, it is important to not think of the news. Rather, think of the free, ready-to-grab donated jackets, labeled in English and Spanish, hanging in the Community Center. Think of an endlessly long Midwest winter and the doors that stayed open for those who needed somewhere warm.

Policing Challenges

That doesn’t mean that the rapid increase in new arrivals hasn’t caused challenges. It has.

Whitewater has experienced an increasing influx of migrants for many reasons. According to the Whitewater Police Department, when migrants are in the process of crossing the border, they are allowed to name a family or known relatives that might sponsor them in the U.S. Many of them are coming from Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, or surrounding villages, and know each other. They will say that they have family in Whitewater, and after they arrive in the city, they may serve as sponsor families themselves, thus creating a pyramid effect that is a cause for the increase in Whitewater’s migrant population.

“This community I think especially needs to hear this directly from us in law enforcement. None of this stuff that we are talking about is intended to be divisive. It’s not denigrating a specific group of people,” says Daniel Meyer, Whitewater police chief.

So why Whitewater? The main reason is the large amount of student housing vacant when class is not in session, according to the Whitewater Police Department. COVID-19 is another factor. Another is the high volume of farm jobs and factory work and the demand Whitewater has for workers in these fields and farms.

According to UW-Whitewater’s fall profile, in Fall 2023, the enrollment of students was 11,522, which, out of a population of 15,638, is somewhere around 73%. Whitewater is a tiny town, and while the census listed population is 15,638 as of 2022, the true population is currently unknown due to the influx of migrant people. In his letter, Meyer estimates that somewhere between 800 to 1,000 immigrants have arrived since early 2022.

In December 2023, Meyer wrote a letter asking for aid with the migrant situation in Whitewater. Sent to 13 politicians, including the president, the letter outlined the type of aid needed to handle the rising numbers in Whitewater, from translation software to more officers to expand the 24-officer police department. The four main issues found in Whitewater’s situation are communication, housing, transportation, and documentation.

“The letter was sent to anyone who has some oversight in Whitewater politically, whether it be state representatives, state senators, U.S. senators, DHS Secretary, etc. We needed to request resources because we didn’t have any other options,” says Meyer. “We got some pretty good responses. There’s just not much out there in terms of grant funding for this type of situation.”

Meyer says that an increase in crime is a concern: he does cite an increase in driving citations, traffic stops, and an inability to keep up with the demands of so few officers.

“When we look at the driving challenges, citations have almost tripled. OWI’s, meanwhile, have gone down, and I believe it is because our officers don’t have time to be proactive,” says Meyer. “Typically, with a domestic incident, it takes two or three hours to handle. It’s taking us twice as long to get through the interviews, because we’re working through interpreters. Before it may have taken two to three hours, now it’s taking four to six, for one call.”

In addition to the statistics, there have been several disturbing events that stemmed from lack of shelter. On Jan. 26, 2022, police found two unattended children on the floor during an apartment fire. The next day, police found a family living in a shed with a 2-year-old child in negative 10-degree temperatures. On March 4, 2023, a baby was found in a field, left there by its mother, who feared she would lose her other children. There have been many struggles in the face of this new crisis.

Community Help

Outside of the law enforcement efforts, local community activists find ways to contribute to the growing population. Part thrift store, part food pantry, complete with home decor, books, other materials, and classes, the Whitewater Community Space is dedicated to making sure that people in need have access to necessary materials. Kay Robers, co-founder of the space, runs this non-profit, community-founded organization with kindness, doing everything in her power to minimize suffering in her hometown.

“If you didn’t know they were here, you wouldn’t know they are here,” Robers says. “The Community Space just celebrated five years in operation, and what we are is we have a food pantry, we have clothing, we have housewares, we have electronics, furniture, anything that people could need, and everything we have is free.”

In the midst of the challenges, some of the migrants are thriving and contributing to Whitewater’s economy.

Whitewater is home to several Mexican grocery stores and other locally owned businesses that serve that are immigrant-owned. Spaces like these often help bring a sense of home to migrants who have arrived.

“I feel comfortable living here,” says Yuri Ostria, an employee of Guanajuato Produce, a Mexican grocery store. “Not everything is bad, and there are people who are kind.”

There are other local community spaces that are also invested in helping migrants feel more welcome. Many churches hold bilingual Masses so everyone who wants to can participate.

“We had a family come here from Nicaragua with nothing,” says Rick Rupprecht, Director of Faith Formation at St. Patrick Catholic Church. “To me, it’s interesting because you have the Mexican immigrants that have come here and have been kind of establishing themselves more, and they’re really excited and interested in helping the new Nicaraguan refugees who are brand new to the country. They know what it’s like to be new here, have very little help, and have to get a job and a place to live.”

For Rupprecht, and the rest of the staff, parishioners, and congregation, it is crucial that everyone who wishes to worship with them can do so, and that is why much of their staff and signage is bilingual.

“I’ve noticed that it’s important to me. The reason I learned Spanish is because I was welcomed when I did a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and I didn’t know a whole lot of Spanish, and they still took care of me and helped me,” says Rupprecht. “And so, you know, I remember that when it comes to what it’s like to be new somewhere. I kind of know that feeling.”