Immigration Affairs was established on October 2nd, 2017. Various factors contributed to the creation of the office, including the political climate. The political atmosphere against the immigrant community created fear and anxiety for the immigrant community and the organizations working with them.

There was recognition that many agencies in our community were unfamiliar with immigration policies and procedures. Organizations began to see an increase in assistance requests from undocumented families, mixed-status families, and families facing language barriers.

As a result of this need, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, the Dane County Board of Supervisors, and the City of Madison created the Dane County Immigration Assistance Fund. This Fund and a grant from the Vera Institute for Justice were part of an effort to provide Dane County residents with legal representation for immigrants facing deportation and family separation.

On September 21st, 2018, an ICE operation took place in Wisconsin, significantly affecting Dane County. This incident caused our community, local officials, and advocates to implement more services for our immigrant community. With support from the Dane County Department of Human Services Management, the Dane County Executive’s Office, the Dane County Supervisors, and community advocates, additional staff were added to Immigration Affairs.

Immigration Affairs now has a Supervisor, two full-time Social Workers, and a full-time Social Service Specialist. All social service providers are bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural. In addition to an increase in personnel, Immigration Affairs has an annual budget to support the needs of the people it serves. Through partnerships with community organizations, Immigration Affairs proudly assists immigrants and refugees in Dane County.

Click here to view the 2022 IAO Annual Report