Susan Crawford's ad featured two sheriffs who have publicly opposed ICE. (Getty)
"At this point, we will no longer be taking part in the SCAAP grant program, and it is due to the recent change in administration and our understanding, listening, and hearing our community here in Dane County," Barrett told Channel 3000 at the time.
Barrett has also pledged that his department will "not be proactively involved in any sort of round-ups, any sort of immigration enforcement."
ICE listed Dane County as a jurisdiction that was "non-cooperative" in a June 2024 report, as Barrett’s office released individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants out on bail after committing crimes that were in some cases violent.
In 2024, two Republican congressmen in Wisconsin released a statement demanding answers from Barrett on Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, a suspected member of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, having a warrant for his arrest in Dane County when he was then arrested for allegedly sexually and physically assaulting a woman and her child.
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 20, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
The race is expected to have significant implications on the future of Wisconsin politics given that the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority would essentially be set in stone through 2028 or, if Schimel were to win, become a conservative-leaning court with Justice Brian Hagedorn serving as a key swing vote.
"In November, Wisconsin voters chose common sense above a far-left agenda. Now, Dangerous Democrat Susan Crawford, wants to be a liberal activist from the bench of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Crawford and Democrats are already plotting to redraw Congressional seats to attack President Trump’s America First Agenda," Wisconsin GOP Executive Director Andrew Iverson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"While Brad Schimel has a record of protecting Wisconsin’s most vulnerable, Crawford has a record of coddling criminals and has attached herself at the hip with anti-ICE and defund-police Democrats. On April 1, Wisconsin voters will flock to the ballot box to vote for Schimel — to save Wisconsin and save America."
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Brad Schimel during a 2018 campaign rally at Weldall Manufacturing Inc. in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Schimel campaign spokesperson Jacob Fischer said, "Susan Crawford is backed by George Soros, and she’s not trying to hide it."
"If Crawford wins, she would continue to force-feed us her dangerous, Soros-backed agenda. We must stop her from destroying Wisconsin."
Fox News Digital reached out to both Barrett and Crawford for comment but did not receive a response.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/liberal-judge-recruits-sanctuary-sheriffs-who-defied-ice-ad-touting-crime-record-pivotal-race