Illustration by Kristian Knutsen and Scott Gordon; azimuth projection map via NS6T/Tom Epperly

Series: Wisconsin's Diverse Waves Of Immigration

Many distinct and ongoing waves of immigration have indelibly shaped communities across Wisconsin. The 19th-century influxes of immigrants from Germany, Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe are strongly associated with the state's cultural identity, but the immigrant experience in Wisconsin is far more varied. Canada has been a small but steady source of immigrants throughout the state's history. Several increasingly large phases of immigration from Mexico and other nations around Latin America have left imprints around the state, ranging from Milwaukee to dairy and vegetable farms in rural areas. In recent decades, immigrants from Asia have likewise increasingly made their home in the state, with Hmong communities standing out. As new groups of immigrants arrive in Wisconsin, their civic, religions and economic contributions adds to the state's diversity.
 
Immigration as a top line issue for dairy farmers would have been unthinkable just a generation ago when Wisconsin's agricultural landscape was dominated by small and medium-sized dairy farms run by the families that owned them.
Shared via
WPT
The announced end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will affect thousands of immigrants in Wisconsin. Voces de la Frontera executive director Christine Neumann-Ortiz discusses who these young Wisconsinites are and what may be next in their future.
Audio: 
Before Martha Stewart and Ina Garten, there was Lizzie Kander and The Settlement Cook Book .
As one of the state's largest industries and the core of its Cheesehead identity, dairy production is heavily dependent on immigrant workers.
Milwaukee's first community of Mexican immigrants flourished briefly but was shattered by the tragedy of the Great Depression.
La Movida is Wisconsin's first Spanish language radio station, and the husband and wife who run it sad they're looking to debunk rumors and calm the fears of many undocumented immigrants in the community.
Shared via
WPT
Chad Billeb, the chief deputy for the Marathon County Sheriff's Department, discusses the fears held by undocumented immigrants in central Wisconsin related to deportation, and what law enforcement in the region is doing to address their concerns.
Shared via
WPT
John Rosenow is a dairy farmer in Buffalo County who employs workers from Mexico. He discusses the federal government's plans to step up deportation, and how it could be detrimental to him and other dairy farmers.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is widening the definition of immigrants classified for "priority removal" and is calling for more assistance from local law enforcement. Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration executive director Dave Gorak discusses these policy changes.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 in a classroom on Madison's south side, a group of mostly Latino immigrants and English as a Second Language teachers sat in a circle listening intently as two special guests answered their questions.