Former Republican Representative Reid Ribble of Wisconsin is warning his party that inaction on immigration reform could cost them at the polls this November. Writing in a new analysis, Ribble argues that the economic and moral case for overhauling the system is clear, but if those arguments fall short, the political math should be a wake-up call.
Ribble points to a recent Wisconsin state supreme court race where a progressive candidate won by a wide margin—including in five of six Republican-held congressional districts. That includes the 8th District, which Ribble once represented and which President Trump carried by 16 points in 2024. The outcome, he says, signals that voters are fed up with the status quo.
“A lot could change in the six months before midterm congressional elections, but signs indicate that voters are not satisfied,” Ribble writes. He urges Republicans to grapple with economic pressures and the dissatisfaction of conservative, faith-motivated voters that stem from the administration's immigration policies.
Ribble, who worked in the roofing industry before and after his time in Congress, highlights labor shortages in construction—where 30% of workers are immigrants—as a key driver of rising housing costs. In Wisconsin's dairy industry, he notes, 70% of workers are undocumented. Healthcare costs also climb when hospitals can't find workers, he adds.
Since Trump took office, more than a million lawfully present immigrants have lost work authorization, and others have been detained or deported. In the first seven months of last year alone, the number of immigrant workers in the U.S. economy dropped by 1.2 million—a trend that has continued. Ribble credits Trump for border security gains, which many evangelical Christians support, but criticizes the administration's indiscriminate detention and deportation of immigrants who pose no public safety threat. He cites Department of Homeland Security data showing fewer than 30% of detained immigrants have criminal convictions, and only 5% are convicted of violent crimes.
“Most detained immigrants are not criminals,” Ribble writes. He notes that 80% are Christians, and 90% of evangelical Christians tell Lifeway Research that policy solutions should protect family unity. A World Relief and National Association of Evangelicals report projects that 1.3 million U.S. citizen minor children and spouses could be separated from family if mass deportation and visa bans continue.
Ribble points to a recent incident in Minnesota where immigration officers killed U.S. citizens, including one from his former district, and detained lawfully present refugees—including Christians—sending them to Texas. Meanwhile, resettlement of Christian refugees remains shut down, despite being a priority for 84% of Protestant pastors.
The former congressman highlights Republican Rep. Maria Salazar's Dignity Act as a bipartisan solution. The bill would bolster border security, expand legal immigration, deport violent offenders, and create a legalization path for immigrants who entered before 2020 and pay a $7,000 fine. The National Association of Evangelicals, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other business groups support it.
Ribble dismisses criticism that the bill amounts to amnesty, calling it “accountability” that keeps families together and workers on the job. Fines would reduce the federal deficit, he argues, rather than draining taxpayer dollars on detaining hardworking immigrants. He notes that more than three-quarters of evangelical Christians would back such a policy, and about two-thirds would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports it.
Ribble’s bottom line: Republicans should support the Dignity Act because it's the right thing to do—but if that's not enough, they should do it to survive the midterms. He also urges Trump to get behind the legislation, saying it could achieve what Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden all failed to do: secure the border and create a functional immigration system that serves America’s economy and values.
For context on the broader political stakes, see our analysis on how voters could disrupt gerrymandering ahead of the 2026 midterms and the economic and geopolitical fallout of Trump's immigration cuts. The GOP also faces a triple threat on immigration funding, FISA renewal, and the farm bill as Congress returns.
