Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez claimed of ICE, “I am one of those targets,” but she is refusing to explain when specifically the immigration agency has ever targeted her.
Rodriguez, who made the comments at a Democratic campaign forum, is running for governor. She and the other Democratic candidates are tripping all over each other lately to condemn ICE. Rodriguez has even demanded that all ICE agents have their identities exposed to agitators, which would endanger their lives. Her plan is so radical that even Democrat Gov. Tony Evers distanced from it.
On the heels of this, she appeared at a campaign forum and made the bizarre claim that ICE has targeted her. Wisconsin Right Now sent Rodriguez an email asking her to document when and how she was targeted by ICE, but her campaign did not respond. In the statement, she appeared to say she has been targeted because she speaks Spanish in public with her family sometimes, so we wanted to know when and where ICE has supposedly targeted her.
“Agents should be easily identifiable, they should be unmasked, they should be wearing body cameras,” Rodriguez said at the forum, when speaking about ICE.
“They should not be able to go into sensitive places without a judicial warrant. That is something that a judge signs with an actual person’s name on it. And I’m talking about schools, I’m talking about state buildings. I’m talking about courthouses. Healthcare, churches… as governor, I’m going to stand strong and firm against that…”
That’s when she added, “It is personal to me. My husband is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. I have children, and we speak Spanish outside the house. I am one of those targets. I stand with immigrants…”
Since Rodriguez made it clear, publicly, that her husband’s immigration story has affected her public policy positions, we decided voters might find it informative to learn additional details (just like how the media reported on Melania Trump’s immigration story), but she didn’t respond.
We wrote:
“I have some questions for Wisconsin Right Now.com. To be clear: Normally, I think spouses of candidates should be off limits. However, you opened the door to this question in several ways.
First, you’ve taken the lead in railing against ICE, you’ve proposed a plan seeking to restrict their powers here and open agents up to doxxing by unmasking them, and you mentioned your family and husband in a recent candidate forum when you claimed, while discussing your campaign immigration policy plan, “It is personal to me. My husband is a naturalized citizen from Mexico.” You even claimed that your family makes you a target of ICE, without providing evidence of such. You claimed, of ICE, “I am one of those targets,” bringing up your family speaking Spanish.
Thus, you have repeatedly brought your family and husband’s immigration story/status into the campaign immigration discussion in a very public way, so I think it’s fair for the voters to more fully understand your family’s immigration experience to appreciate how it’s impacted or informed your own policies, since you stated it has. You have repeatedly brought your husband into this public discussion. In a press release, you wrote, “Baltazar Rodriguez is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico who became a naturalized U.S. citizen after coming to this country to build a better life.”
When a reporter (whose name you blacked out) asked you in July whether your husband, Baltazar Rodriguez, was “undocumented,” you appeared to be trying to shut down this line of questioning by ignoring the question. You responded, “Yesterday, reporters got a ‘tip’ that my husband is undocumented. Spoiler: he’s a proud, naturalized U.S. citizen. We are five days into this race and my opponents are already resorting to racist, made-up attacks about my family.”
We did not ask the following questions at that time because, again, generally we believe families of candidates should be off-limits. The manner in which you publicly brought them into a very public policy proposal, however, makes it relevant now. Questions we would like you to answer:
1. When, how, and where did your husband first come to the United States? Was he ever in this country illegally (or in an “undocumented” fashion)? If so, were YOU ever aware that he was in this country illegally while he was and for how long? What did you do with that information, if so?
2. If so, how does that inform your position on illegal immigration?
3. If he came to this country LEGALLY, I think that’s just as important for voters to know as they try to understand your immigration platform. If so, how does that story inform your positions on illegal immigration? If you would like to sit down for an interview to discuss this contextually, we would appreciate that.
4. Who was the reporter and news outlet whose name you blacked out in July? Why are you protecting that news outlet/reporter?
5. You said you have been a target of ICE. Can you please be specific? When and what happened?
P.S. If you whip out a press release accusing us of being racist for asking questions that you OPENED THE DOOR to, please at least answer the questions in that press release.
Here’s what you said, opening the door by bringing your husband’s immigration status into a recent public campaign forum.” We then shared her quote.
No response.
