Evers Calls White House Border Czar’s Immigration Enforcement Threats ‘chilling’

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sharply criticized the Trump administration on Friday, calling the White House’s actions “chilling” after border czar Tom Homan threatened consequences — and alluded to criminal charges — over guidance issued to state employees confronted by federal immigration authorities.

“In this country, the federal government doesn’t get to abuse its power to threaten everyday Americans,” Evers, a Democrat, said in a video released Friday. “In this country, the federal government doesn’t get to arrest American citizens who have not committed a crime. In this country, we don’t threaten to persecute people just because they belong to a different political party.”

Evers’ message comes on the heels of the Trump administration targeting another Wisconsin official over immigration, with federal law enforcement charging a county judge with obstructing an arrest of an undocumented person last week.

The Trump administration has threatened to investigate and prosecute officials who refuse to cooperate with the administration's deportation agenda.

The memo from the governor’s office, issued in April, among other things directs employees to speak with their agency's attorney before engaging with federal officials and to refrain from allowing an agent to enter a nonpublic area.

Evers on Friday argued that its purpose was to arm state employees with “clear, consistent” advice and make sure they have a lawyer.

“But Republicans and their right-wing allies, including Elon Musk, lied about this guidance, spread misinformation, accused me of doing things I didn’t do or say, and fueled a fake controversy of their own creation,” he said.

Homan on Thursday suggested that Evers could be a target for the administration.

“Wait till you see what’s coming,” he told reporters outside the White House when asked about the guidance. “I meant what I said. You can not support what we’re doing. And you can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you want to do. But if you cross that line of impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony. And we’lll treat it as such.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan, a Republican, reposted a video of Homan’s comments on X. “Arrest, Arrest, Arrest!,” he wrote alongside the post.

In another instance, he attached an AI image of Evers, in handcuffs, being let out of the state Capitol by a police-uniformed President Donald Trump.

Democrats are rallying behind the two-term governor.

“Threatening to arrest a sitting governor for briefing his staff on their legal rights is outrageous,” state Sen. LaTonya Johnson said Friday in a post on X. “Thank you, @GovEvers, for standing up to Trump and not backing down in the face of this blatant political intimidation.”

Just last week, the FBI arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan over an immigration dispute, alleging that she helped an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

A criminal complaint asserted that Dugan helped sneak Eduardo Flores Ruiz and his attorney out of a courtroom through a door leading to a private hallway. She and her legal team have maintained her innocence.

The White House has celebrated the charges, even as Democrats have fretted the arrest further undermines the judicial branch at the expense of the White House.

“We have to be proud of our country,” Trump said when asked about Dugan’s arrest. “We can’t let these people stay. And the courts are allowing them to stay. We’re just not going to allow it.”