Rhinelander, a small city in Wisconsin, is actually closer to the Arctic Circle than to Mexico. Therefore, it's not surprising that few residents have seen the foreign migrants that former President Donald Trump claims are "invading" the United States from the southern border, which is 1,500 miles away.
Jim Schuh, who manages a local bakery, believes that these migrants are a major problem, despite the fact that they are not visible in Rhinelander. "We don't see immigrants here, but I have relatives all over the country and they see them," he said. "That's Biden. He's responsible."
Many voters in key swing states agree with Schuh, even in areas where migrants are not commonly seen. This is as they observe cities like Chicago and New York struggling to cope with the influx of migrants transported there by the governors of Texas and Florida.
Trump has been emphasizing the issue of migration in Wisconsin, where the last two presidential elections were decided by less than 1% of the vote. A recent poll found that two-thirds of Wisconsin voters believe that "the Biden administration's border policies have created a crisis of uncontrolled illegal migration into the country."
Republican politicians have focused on Whitewater, a small city of about 15,000 residents in the south of Wisconsin, as an example. The police chief, Dan Meyer, appealed for federal assistance due to nearly 1,000 arrivals from Nicaragua and Venezuela in the past two years.
Meyer expressed concern about the living conditions, such as a family living in a shed in subzero temperatures. However, he emphasized the value of diversity that these migrants bring.
Despite Meyer's perspective, Republican leaders, including Senator Ron Johnson and Congressman Bryan Steil, have criticized Biden for the situation.
Residents like Brienne Brown feel used as a "political football." Brown, a city council member, noted that the community had been welcoming to migrants, with organizations providing support.
Wisconsin relies on migrant workers for farm labor, with many of them being undocumented. Whitewater historically attracted migrants from Mexico, but there has been a shift during the pandemic, with more workers from Nicaragua and Venezuela moving into student accommodation.
Schuh, like others critical of Biden's immigration policies, distinguishes between legal and illegal immigration, stating, "I have nothing against immigrants, but it has to be done the right way."
Trump recently used the murder of Ruby Garcia to criticize Biden's immigration policies, claiming that Biden allowed the perpetrator, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, back into the US. Ortiz-Vite was deported in 2020 for drinking and driving, but it's unclear when he returned to the US.