Dan Knodl: Standing with law enforcement, upholding the rule of law

The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.

As Representative for the 24th Assembly District, I am proud to stand with law enforcement officers at every level, from local police and sheriffs to federal agents, who work tirelessly to protect our communities. This includes the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose mission to enforce federal immigration laws helps keep violent criminals and traffickers off our streets.

Contrary to the misconception that interior immigration enforcement is a new or extreme idea, it has been a consistent part of the duty of multiple presidential administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, to remove non-citizens who break our laws.

From the 1990s through the 2010s, immigration enforcement expanded under presidents of both parties. During President Bill Clinton’s two terms (1993–2001), enforcement increased significantly, with data showing roughly 12 million removals or returns, including both formal deportations and returns at the border. This era also included passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which broadened deportation authority and accelerated enforcement processes.

That trend continued under President George W. Bush (2001–2009), when approximately 10 million individuals were removed or returned, including more than 2 million formal removals. His administration also created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, solidifying the federal government’s role in interior enforcement. President Barack Obama (2009–2017) carried out more formal removals than any modern president, with over 3 million deportations, largely prioritizing individuals with criminal convictions, and more than 5 million total removals and returns combined. During President Donald Trump’s first term, nearly 1 million formal removals were recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted immigration flows. Since returning to office in 2025, enforcement efforts have resulted in DHS reporting more than 2 million undocumented migrants leaving the country, including roughly 600,000 formal deportations and an estimated 1.9 million self-deportations in 2025.

What these numbers show is that enforcing our immigration laws and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens has been a core federal policy for decades, not an anomaly of one administration.

The rationale for this enforcement is simple: criminal convictions matter. According to Homeland Security data, ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of non-citizens with criminal histories, including those charged with or convicted of violent offenses, sexual assaults, weapons crimes, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. For example, enforcement operations like Operation Predator have specifically targeted and removed thousands of foreign national sexual offenders and traffickers from our communities. These numbers represent real people who have violated our laws and, in many cases, caused profound harm to others. We have a responsibility to ensure public safety and support those who put themselves in harm’s way to enforce the law.

Another critical priority of federal immigration enforcement has been locating and protecting vulnerable children who end up unaccompanied or missing after entering the United States. ICE and DHS have used their authorities to track down and locate missing, trafficked children, working with law enforcement partners to dismantle human trafficking networks and reunite children with safe environments.

Federal law enforcement takes this scourge of child trafficking and exploitation seriously. In Fiscal Year 2024, Homeland Security Investigations, which is ICE’s investigative arm, identified and rescued 1,567 child victims of online exploitation and abuse, and recent operations in 2025 led to over 386 probable identifications with 56 children rescued from active abuse situations. In one Nebraska operation, ICE agents rescued 27 trafficking victims, including 10 children under 12, from a violent illegal alien-run trafficking ring.

An August 2024 report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General found that approximately 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for immigration court hearings between 2019 and 2023, and that roughly 291,000 children were never issued court notices at all. The Inspector General warned that children who miss court appearances are considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor, and urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “take immediate action to ensure the safety” of these minors. As of November 2025, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reported that the agency had located more than 24,400 children with in-person visits to homes.

These are not abstract numbers. They represent real children brought to safety because dedicated officers and agents followed the law to shield the vulnerable. Protecting these children is a mission that transcends politics. When federal agents step in to find a child who has been exploited or endangered, they are upholding not just the letter of the law but the very dignity of human life.

Despite Governor Evers’ repeated claims that immigration enforcement would devastate Wisconsin’s dairy industry and broader economy, the reality on the ground tells a different story. ICE enforcement in Wisconsin has been limited, targeted, and focused on public safety, not farm labor. In September 2025, ICE, working with DHS and other federal partners, conducted a targeted operation in Manitowoc County that resulted in the arrest of 24 undocumented immigrants connected to a transnational human and drug trafficking network. Something tells me that these individuals were not milking cows or picking crops in their free time. According to federal officials, many of those arrested had prior convictions for serious crimes, including sexual assault of a child, operating while intoxicated, hit-and-run, identity theft, and possession of narcotic equipment. This was not an operation aimed at disrupting Wisconsin agriculture; it was a law-enforcement action designed to remove dangerous criminals from our communities and hold traffickers accountable. This is precisely the kind of enforcement that protects both public safety and the rule of law.

Enforcing immigration laws is not about partisanship, it’s about public safety, accountability, and fairness under the law. Regardless of their party affiliation, past and present administrations have recognized the importance of removing non-citizens who pose a risk to our communities. Our state and federal leaders should continue to support robust enforcement policies that prioritize criminals and traffickers, protect innocent American citizens, and ensure our laws have real meaning.

We owe it to the citizens we represent and to the men and women in uniform who serve us to stand firm in support of lawful and effective immigration enforcement.

– Knodl, R-Germantown, represents Wisconsin’s 24th Assembly District.