If they became policy, the priorities of former President Donald Trump would have some clear effects on Milwaukee’s criminal justice system, including on the fate of undocumented immigrants and fentanyl traffickers.
NNS looks at the criminal justice priorities identified by Trump: investing in law enforcement; border security; the illegal drug trade; constitutionalism, or the theory that a government’s power stems from a fundamental set of laws or constitution.
Investing in law enforcement
On his campaign website, Trump states that there is “no higher priority” than restoring law and order and public safety.
He says he will accomplish this through record funding for hiring and retaining police officers.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has made it clear that he also has a commitment to police funding.
Responding to accusations of Milwaukee “defunding the police” from Eric Hovde, Republican candidate for the Wisconsin U.S. Senate, Johnson defended his record.
“ … My 2023 budget increased funding for law enforcement by $20 million, and in 2024, my city budget funds the maximum number of police classes possible and the maximum number of recruits possible,” Johnson tweeted.
Johnson added that Milwaukee saw double-digit decreases in homicide, vehicle theft and property crime from 2022 to 2023.
Erik Ngutse, community engagement director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said that people he speaks with say something very different from the mayor.
“As far as Milwaukee goes, talking to bar owners and business owners here, crime rates are not going down,” Ngutse said.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office flatly rejects claims that crime in Milwaukee is increasing.
“There is empirical evidence crime in Milwaukee is declining,” the spokesperson said. “I would encourage anyone engaged in public debate about crime in Milwaukee to get his facts straight. “
Border security
A major focus of Trump’s campaign is what he sees as the dangers posed by a lack of security at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the failures of the current administration to deal with these supposed dangers.
“They allowed criminals. Many, many, millions of criminals. They allowed terrorists. They allowed common street criminals. They allowed people to come in, drug dealers, to come into our country and they’re now in the United States,” Trump said during his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Immigrants also, according to Trump’s campaign website, cost the country money, undermine U.S. workers and burden public services, such as schools.
Trump is advocating for a policy of mass deportation.
“We will carry out the largest deportation operation of criminals in American history,” Trump said during a rally in Uniondale, New York.
The number of immigrants living in the United States did increase by roughly 1.6 million people in 2023, the largest single-year increase in the nation’s immigrant population since 2000, according to an analysis from the Pew Research Center.
However, the analysis also states that nearly three-quarters of immigrants living in the U.S. as of 2022, were naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents or lawful temporary residents.
R. Timothy Muth, senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, of Wisconsin, said that the issue of deportation provides an incredibly sharp difference between Trump and Harris, adding that Milwaukee experienced an increase in deportations when Trump was in office.
Illegal drug trade
Trump has bragged about his record on addressing overdose deaths and said on his campaign website, that his new administration would focus on drug cartels to curb the flow of drugs into the country, including supporting legislation that would impose the death penalty on drug smugglers and traffickers.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, cartels are one of the main sources of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid often mixed with other illegal street drugs.
However, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids increased in the country under Trump’s presidency, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Milwaukee County, residents have experienced high levels of drug overdose deaths, particularly from fentanyl, according to elected officials, substance use treatment experts and others.
Recent funding from a nationwide class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers resulted in $102 million over the next 18 years for the county, which is currently being used to fund a strategy that includes education and prevention.
Upholding the U.S. Constitution
Trump’s campaign website emphasizes his appointments of federal judges who “interpret the (U.S.) Constitution as written.”
Christine Chabot, associate professor of law at Marquette University Law School, is skeptical.
“I have trouble understanding how an asserted interest in ‘constitutionalism’ would set Mr. Trump apart from Vice President Harris,” said Chabot. “Article II of the (U.S.) Constitution subjects all presidents to a duty to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ and requires them to take an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
For additional information about the election, including how to find your district, check out the Wisconsin Watch 2024 Voter Guide.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
