A Wisconsin Democrat hoping to flip one of the nation’s most closely watched House seats is finding herself in an awkward lane: celebrating an endorsement from a union that has spent months battling efforts to tighten commercial driver’s license requirements for non-citizens.
Rebecca Cooke, who is once again trying to unseat Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, proudly highlighted backing from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). But the endorsement comes with political baggage at a moment when immigration enforcement and highway safety have become flashpoint issues nationwide.
“I’m honored to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the hard-working men and women of AFSCME,” Cooke said while touting the union’s support.
That warm embrace is drawing scrutiny because AFSCME has not exactly been riding shotgun with the Trump administration’s push for tougher verification standards in the trucking industry. Instead, the union has emerged as one of the loudest voices opposing efforts to require stronger proof of lawful immigration status for commercial driver’s license holders.
The debate has intensified following a series of deadly crashes involving foreign-born truck drivers who authorities say should never have been behind the wheel in the first place.
Federal officials have repeatedly pointed to cases they argue demonstrate the risks of weak enforcement. In California earlier this year, Pakistani national Dawood Hussain was charged with vehicular homicide after allegedly driving a commercial truck the wrong way on a highway, resulting in a fatal collision.
“Illegal aliens should not be operating 80,000-pound tractor-trailers on American roads,” said USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser.
He added, “This tragedy, like many others, was completely preventable. Under President Trump’s leadership, USCIS remains committed to safeguarding our communities by helping to ensure dangerous illegal aliens are removed from our country, as well as supporting the president’s call for even tougher measures to prevent future truck tragedies.”
The administration has made trucking enforcement part of its broader immigration crackdown, arguing that commercial drivers operating massive vehicles should face strict identity and legal-status verification requirements.
AFSCME, however, has pushed in the opposite direction. The union has argued that maintaining broader access to CDLs helps maximize workforce participation amid ongoing labor shortages. Critics say the organization has gone even further, circulating guidance aimed at helping employers navigate around restrictions targeting undocumented workers. The union has also challenged federal policies in court, including Transportation Department requirements directing states to verify lawful immigration status before issuing commercial licenses.
That puts Cooke in a politically uncomfortable position in Wisconsin, where trucking is not some niche industry discussed by policy wonks in Washington conference rooms. It’s a major pillar of the state’s economy.
More than 186,000 Wisconsin residents work in trucking-related jobs, making the industry one of the state’s largest employment sectors. For many voters, questions about road safety, workforce standards and immigration enforcement aren’t abstract talking points — they’re issues rolling down local highways every day.
Republicans are already framing the controversy as a simple question: should the people steering 80,000-pound vehicles across American highways be required to prove they are legally authorized to be here?
Democrats counter that workforce realities require flexibility and that broad restrictions could worsen labor shortages in an industry already struggling to recruit enough drivers.
Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024, falling by less than three percentage points. With another razor-close race looming, every issue matters. And thanks to the CDL battle, voters in western Wisconsin may soon be deciding whether this campaign is about workers’ rights, immigration enforcement — or who should be trusted behind the wheel.
