Vance touts deportation plan in Wisconsin city where tensions flared over refugee resettlement

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) — Stephanie Hirsch remembers growing up in the western Wisconsin city of Eau Claire when the community welcomed newly arriving Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia.

So Hirsch, now the Eau Claire city manager, said she was surprised at the hostility, fear and anger she saw last fall, when residents learned several dozen refugees would start arriving legally in the community of about 70,000. Opponents spread misinformation — including on a billboard — about how many people were coming and from where, and people packed a city meeting to protest the resettlements.

“It’s very hard for me to understand that fear,” Hirsch said. “I completely disagree with being afraid of people from different cultures. In fact, I’m really excited about it.”

But the way lifelong Eau Claire resident Fred Kappus saw it, the city should have other priorities.

“We really should attend to the homelessness situation before we bring in people from elsewhere,” said Kappus, the vice chairman of the Eau Claire Republican Party.

The flaring tension over the resettlement of refugees in Eau Claire has been repeated in many other midsize communities across the U.S. And it served as a backdrop to a campaign rally Tuesday with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who has focused on immigration and anti-immigrant rhetoric as he and former President Donald Trump campaign.

Vance argued Tuesday that illegal immigration has devastated parts of the country, including places like Wisconsin that are far from the U.S. border with Mexico. He blames Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for problems such as the flow of illegal drugs, and says he and Trump will secure the border and “put Americans first.”

“Every community is a border state,” Vance said. “Every community is a border community.”

The Ohio senator also has continued to promote false claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating pets as he tries to draw attention to Democratic presidential nominee Harris’ immigration policies. Officials have said there have been no credible or detailed reports about the claims.

Vance defended talking about the claims in Springfield when asked about it Tuesday.

“I haven’t made up anything," Vance said. “I just listened to people who were telling me things.”

Vance said he wants to travel to Springfield and speak with people there, but that wouldn't be in the city's best interests right now.

Western Wisconsin is a target for both sides in one of the “blue wall” states, along with Pennsylvania and neighboring Michigan, that both parties say they need to win to secure the White House. Vance campaigned in Michigan earlier Tuesday before going to Wisconsin.

The city — a regional economic hub about 90 miles east of Minneapolis — is reliably Democratic. But it is located in a county where margins of victory may make a difference in November. Biden carried the county by 11 points over Trump in 2020, when the Democrat won Wisconsin and the election. Trump lost the county by 7 points in 2016, but won Wisconsin that year.

Vance did not mention the resettlement in Eau Claire during his rally, but did talk about Trump’s plan to deport people living in the country illegally, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. He also said communities that are “overrun” by immigration have seen problems such as rising rents, increased car insurance costs and added pressure on healthcare and school systems.

The issue of immigration already has polarized people in Eau Claire and the surrounding area.

When news broke nearly a year ago that about 75 refugees who fled their countries due to war or persecution were headed to the region — representing about 0.10% of Eau Claire's population — Republicans introduced bills at the state and federal level designed to give local communities more say.

A misleading billboard accused Eau Claire city leaders of using tax dollars to “traffic Somali refugees” and keeping the plan secret, though no one from Somalia was part of the resettlement effort. An overflow crowd at an Eau Claire County Board meeting opposed the resettlement, but the board rejected a resolution that would have paused the effort.

There was also initially a “total and complete lack of transparency” related to the resettlements and where the refugees were coming from, said Kappus, the Republican critic.

Hirsch, the city's top official, says officials don't need to hold a public hearing anytime someone moves into town.

“We have many thousands of people who move to Eau Claire on an annual basis,” she said. “There’s nothing unusual about having people move to Eau Claire.”

World Relief, a humanitarian aid group founded by the National Association of Evangelicals, settled 77 refugees in Eau Claire since February, about half from the African countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic and others from Venezuela and Colombia, said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy. Five Somalis live in the nearby community of Barron, where family members had previously settled.

World Relief expects 100 to 125 more refugees in Eau Claire in the federal government’s budget year, starting Oct. 1, to arrive at about the same pace since the group began operations in the Wisconsin city in February.

Bill Berg, 73, who was born and raised in Eau Claire and lived most of his life there, said, “It’s a minority that disagrees with refugee resettlement.”

“It’s ‘the other,’” he said Tuesday when asked why he thought some were opposed. “It’s always ‘the other.’”

He described Eau Claire as a “welcoming community” and said he had no problem with the refugees.

“Half of my family are of other races, which I think is a good thing,” he said.

World Relief, one of 10 nongovernmental organizations that works with the State Department and the U.N. refugee agency to bring refugees to the United States after extensive vetting, has been expanding after leaner times. President Joe Biden raised the cap on bringing refugees to 125,000 in the budget year ending Sept. 30 from 18,000 under Trump in 2020, the lowest since refugee resettlement began in 1980.

Just over 84,000 refugees came to the United States from Oct. 1 through Aug. 31, a pace that falls short of the 125,000 cap. Wisconsin took in 1,500 of them, about one-third from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is plagued by violent crime and civil unrest.

Eau Claire is one of several locations, along with Austin, Texas; Baltimore; and Scott County, Iowa, where World Relief grew over the last year, Soerens said. The group felt it succeeded in Appleton, Wisconsin — where it had settled refugees for more than a decade — and started looking for another Wisconsin city that offered jobs and a welcoming spirit. They spoke with police departments, school districts, potential employers and churches.

“The community that sort of rose to the top was Eau Claire, in part because the local government was eager,” Soerens said.

Hirsch was so confident that Eau Claire would be a good fit, she wrote the U.S. State Department last year that the county had an unemployment rate of 3.5%, with plenty of job opportunities, and “a long history of welcoming refugees.”

But then the backlash hit.

Kappus, who lived his entire life in Eau Claire, thinks immigration is one of the top concerns of voters in western Wisconsin.

“Fentanyl is a problem here in west-central Wisconsin and Eau Claire,” Kappus said. “It all goes back to our open borders.”

World Relief, like other resettlement agencies, provides temporary aid that may include food, rent, clothing, furniture and help with school enrollment and job searches. That’s far different from Springfield, Ohio, where many Haitians are in the country under Temporary Protected Status, which spares people from being deported to countries that are considered unsafe due to natural disasters or civil strife. Refugees, unlike those on TPS, have a path to citizenship.

Eau Claire, the fastest-growing city in the northern half of Wisconsin, is attracting people from all over, including small towns and big cities, people escaping warmer climates and those from other countries, Hirsch said.

“We’re happy to have people come to the community whether they are refugees from the Congo or a candidate for vice president,” she said. “We want to be a community that’s welcoming.”

Spagat reported from San Diego.

Supporters gather at a rally to hear Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance, arrive at a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Supporters look for spots in the standing room only section to listen to Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Supporters listens as Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign stop at Apple Valley Events in Sparta, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Isaac Ritchey/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Stephanie Hirsch, city manager for Eau Claire, Wis., who supported the resettlement of refugees in the western Wisconsin city despite opposition from Republicans, poses in a downtown park ahead of a campaign visit from vice presidential candidate JD Vance Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Stephanie Hirsch, city manager for Eau Claire, Wis., who supported the resettlement of refugees in the western Wisconsin city despite opposition from Republicans, poses in a downtown park ahead of a campaign visit from vice presidential candidate JD Vance Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Stephanie Hirsch, city manager for Eau Claire, Wis., who supported the resettlement of refugees in the western Wisconsin city despite opposition from Republicans, poses in a downtown park ahead of a campaign visit from vice presidential candidate JD Vance Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Another 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before dawn Saturday, the military said.

The Houthis issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

“A flash of light, a blow and we fell to the ground. Big mess, broken glasses all over the place,” said Bar Katz, a resident of a damaged building.

The attack came after Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people Thursday. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi long-range missile that hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

Israel's military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports that will lead to the "immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Hodeida port has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region.

Mourners in Gaza held funerals for 19 people — 12 of them children — killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and overnight.

One strike hit a residential building in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven Palestinians, including five children and one woman, and injuring 16 others, health officials said.

In Gaza City, a strike on a house killed 12 people, including seven children and two women, according to Al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies were taken.

One man cradled a tiny shroud-wrapped body as mourners gathered at the hospital in Gaza City. Women comforted each other as they wept.

Overall, Gaza's Health Ministry said 21 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.

More than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and triggered the 14-month war. The health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of fatalities are women and children.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian deaths in Gaza. It says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in largely isolated northern Gaza, while the hospital director described conditions as dire, as Israel's military presses its latest offensive.

The ministry reported continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital, saying “shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic.”

Hospital director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility faced “severe shortages” and asserted that requests for essential medical supplies and ways to maintain oxygen, water and electricity systems "have largely gone unmet.”

He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

“Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded," Safiyeh added. “We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us.”

Aid groups have said Israeli military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid.

The Israeli military organization dealing with humanitarian affairs for Gaza said Saturday it had led an operation delivering thousands of food packages, flour and water to the Beit Hanoun area in the north. It said trucks with the U.N. World Food Program transported them to distribution centers in the area Friday.

Iran on Saturday said unknown gunmen had killed a local staffer of the Iranian embassy in Syria, the official IRNA news agency said.

Its report quoted foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying “terrorists” opened fire on Davood Bitaraf’s car last Sunday. It did not say what he did with the embassy.

Baghaei said Iran considers Syria’s interim government responsible for finding and prosecuting those behind the killing. Iran had been a key ally of recently ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Shurafa reported from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Men pray over the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp during a funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital before their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli soldier observes the site where the missile launched from Yemen landed Jaffa district, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)