Milwaukee Official Urges Probe Into Immigration Practices at Maga Donors' Company
A Milwaukee city council member has formally called for an investigation into the immigration policies at Uline, the massive office supply company owned by prominent Maga Republican donors Liz and Richard Uihlein. The demand comes following revelations about the company's previous use of a controversial "shuttle program" that transported workers from Mexico to staff warehouses in the United States.
Details of the Controversial Worker Program
According to an investigation by the Guardian, Uline operated a shuttle program that brought employees from its Mexican facilities to work at warehouses in Wisconsin, Florida, and Pennsylvania for extended periods of weeks and even months. The program utilized visas specifically designated for workers undergoing training, not for regular full-time employment positions.
Council member JoCasta Zamarripa, who is currently running for the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin secretary of state, issued a strong statement regarding the practice. "Billionaires fund the crackdown, then exploit the very people targeted by it – because they think money shields them from consequences," Zamarripa wrote in a Facebook post dedicated to her campaign. "Wisconsin needs transparency, a real investigation, and accountability that applies to everyone."
Worker Testimonies and Company Response
The Guardian's reporting included an interview with Christian Valenzuela, a Mexican worker who participated in the shuttle program. Valenzuela described being injured while working in Wisconsin, subsequently sent back to Mexico, and ultimately losing his job. "We were just going to work," he explained. "They always gave us more work, because we were stronger workers. Because the Americans perhaps work at their own pace, going little by little. Whereas we Mexicans are faster, more productive, more everything."
Uline, a privately held company estimated to generate $8 billion in annual revenues with approximately 9,000 employees, has declined to comment on Zamarripa's specific remarks. The company has previously refused to address detailed questions about the shuttle program, which sources indicate was abruptly terminated in late 2024 when the Guardian first reported on the practice.
Political Context and Donor Influence
The Uihleins have established themselves as major financial supporters of Republican causes and candidates. In the first six months of 2025 alone, the couple donated $1 million to the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans, according to Wisconsin Public Radio reports. This college Republican group has endorsed Congressman Tom Tiffany for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, who also received Donald Trump's endorsement.
Zamarripa emphasized this political connection in her statement, writing: "The billionaire Uihlein family – among the biggest Republican mega-donors in the nation – have helped bankroll the very politicians, including Donald Trump, behind today's out-of-control immigration crackdowns. Now we learn that workers in Pleasant Prairie say Mexican employees were pushed into dangerous, exhausting conditions and punished for speaking up – all while fueling Uline's enormous wealth."
Call for Official Action
Zamarripa, a former Wisconsin state representative who now represents a South Side district on the Milwaukee city council, told the Wisconsin Examiner that she intends to call on state officials to investigate Uline's practices and potential legal violations. She has declared her intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin secretary of state ahead of the August primary election.
The council member did not respond to interview requests regarding her statement, but her public call for investigation adds significant political pressure on Uline as the 2024 election approaches. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement policies and business practices in key political battleground states like Wisconsin.
