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Wisconsin sheriff races test future of local ICE cooperation

Nov 3, 2025·Location: Baraboo, WI

Wisconsin sheriff races test future of local ICE cooperation
Photo via milwaukeenns.org

Voters in Sauk and Winnebago counties, Wisconsin, will choose sheriffs with differing views on 287(g) agreements that let local jail officers assist ICE with immigration enforcement, with the Nov. 3, 2026 election now set between one Democrat and one Republican in each county. Democratic nominees Ryan Jesberger in Sauk County and, in Winnebago County, a candidate facing Republican Jason Rippl, pledge to end the agreements, while Republican opponents support continuing them in some form. In Sauk County, both the Democratic and Republican candidates say they would keep a separate contract letting ICE house detainees in the county jail, though they disagree on its financial and humanitarian implications. ICE has made about 100 arrests in Sauk County since January 2025, almost all through jail custody transfers, and Winnebago County residents have also raised concerns about local law enforcement's use of Flock license plate cameras.

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