Chaos erupted in a Wisconsin state Senate committee room when a Democrat senator made a dramatic grab for the chairman’s gavel during a fiery debate on immigration policy.
Fox News reported that in a stunning display of discord, a meeting of the Wisconsin Senate’s State and Federal Affairs Committee spiraled into disorder as State Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, lunged at the gavel of Chairman State Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Oconomowoc, amid heated arguments over a bill to restrict public funds for healthcare for unauthorized migrants.
The debate began with intense discussion over the proposed legislation, which seeks to prevent taxpayer money from covering medical costs for those in the country without legal status.
Things took a personal turn when State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, shared a story about a migrant woman, initially described as lawfully present but later deported, who he claimed passed away due to lack of access to medication after her private insurance expired.
Larson later admitted his error, acknowledging the woman was still alive, a correction that earned a public nod of approval from Kapenga for owning the mistake.
Despite this clarification, Carpenter doubled down on the original narrative, pushing forward with arguments even after the facts were corrected, which only stoked the growing tension.
Kapenga quickly stepped in, asserting that the committee couldn’t delve into individual cases and must stick to the bill itself, with the sponsors present solely to address the legislation’s specifics.
He also shut down attempts by Larson to tie the debate to federal immigration policy changes under President Donald Trump, calling such topics beyond the bill’s focus with a firm, “Gentlemen, that’s outside the scope.”
That rebuke didn’t sit well with Carpenter, who argued that federal policies and historical deportations directly impact Wisconsin’s challenges, insisting the broader context mattered.
As voices overlapped in a crescendo of cross-talk, Carpenter grew increasingly animated, weaving federal policy into his points while accusing opponents of dodging the hard truths.
The breaking point came when Kapenga banged his gavel to restore order, prompting Carpenter to lunge for it—a shocking breach of decorum that left the room reeling.
Bill sponsor Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, tried to steer the conversation back, emphasizing that legal status can be revoked for various reasons, noting, “Anybody who is here that is not a citizen… they always have their ability to be here revoked.”
Co-sponsor Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Green Lake, pointed out that similar measures have passed in states across the political spectrum, suggesting the bill wasn’t a partisan outlier.
But the room had already descended into chaos, with Kapenga finally gaveling the session to a close amid unrelenting crosstalk, declaring, “Gentlemen, we’re done.”
While the incident reflects deep divisions over immigration policy, it also underscores a troubling erosion of civility in public discourse—something conservatives often lament as a casualty of progressive overreach, though all sides share blame for letting emotions override reason. Fox News Digital reached out to Carpenter for his take, and contributor Kiera McDonald helped shape this report.
