Wisconsin farmers fault Trump on vow to deport immigrants, but some don't believe he'd do it
MOLLY REINMANN
Updated
Polls are showing that even in a midwestern state like Wisconsin, the issue of immigration and border security is near the top of the list for voter concerns this election season. The two main presidential candidates offer vastly different approaches to solving the problem while Congress has…
Cody Heller, right, with his father, Blake, on their family's farm in Alma Center. A supporter of former President Donald Trump, Heller's livelihood depends on immigrant labor, he said. He's counting on the former president not following through with his mass deportation promises.
Wisconsin dairy farmers overwhelmingly identify as conservative; they also often employ immigrant labor. Many farmers who support former President Donald Trump say they favor his economic policies and doubt he'll follow through on his promise to deport millions of immigrants.
With so few domestic workers willing to take agricultural jobs, farmers face the choice of automation or hiring immigrant workers, said Tina Hinchley, who owns Hinchley’s Dairy, a 240-cow farm in Cambridge. “We’ve got robots, so we don’t have to have immigrants,” she said.
Breitenmoser Family Farm owner Hans Breitenmoser Jr. loads cattle with his neighbor Charles Rheinhardt. A child of immigrants, Breitenmoser employs 10 immigrants on his farm. Without immigrant labor, he said, farming "simply doesn't work."
Cody Heller, right, with his father, Blake, on their family's farm in Alma Center. A supporter of former President Donald Trump, Heller's livelihood depends on immigrant labor, he said. He's counting on the former president not following through with his mass deportation promises.
Breitenmoser Family Farm owner Hans Breitenmoser Jr. loads cattle with his neighbor Charles Rheinhardt. A child of immigrants, Breitenmoser employs 10 immigrants on his farm. Without immigrant labor, he said, farming "simply doesn't work."
With so few domestic workers willing to take agricultural jobs, farmers face the choice of automation or hiring immigrant workers, said Tina Hinchley, who owns Hinchley’s Dairy, a 240-cow farm in Cambridge. “We’ve got robots, so we don’t have to have immigrants,” she said.
Wisconsin dairy farmers overwhelmingly identify as conservative; they also often employ immigrant labor. Many farmers who support former President Donald Trump say they favor his economic policies and doubt he'll follow through on his promise to deport millions of immigrants.
